Meat Eating Moron
by Blame-It-On-Magellan
Summary: Was this really that little kid she had met on the first day of school? Why was he so...different? With Hancock and Lucci constantly tormenting her, exactly what could this special little meat eating moron do?
1. Meat Eating Moron

**Hiyo, people. First fanfic EVER so I'm excited, yeah! I feel sad that there's not much LuRo or RobinXAce or NaSa…. Or at least ones that I'm interested in for that last one…. So, this a high school setting, but not ALL of it will be there… yeah.**

**Oh, and people, this is a FANFIC. Keyword: FAN. I don't see the point of doing a disclaimer. It's not like Oda searches through all of the stories to make sure there's one, I mean come on! We're anonymous, too, so, yeah… I didn't sound like a total douche right there, did I?**

**(*) It's basically her outfit from that one movie with Shikki, but her hair is down and she doesn't have glasses on. **

**Review! PLEASE!**

* * *

Her heart beat ten times as fast as before as she stepped through the doors of New World High. She was happy, but in a way, depressed. Happy for a new beginning but depressed for having to start it. Yes, Nico Robin was one of the very few people in her old town that could fight with herself so much she could die. She had collapsed under pressure due to an incident at school, so her mother decided to move away from all of that.

Her green boots clacked on the tile floor as she took in the hallways and people around her. The décor would take a while to get used to, but other than the people themselves, the actual grouping in general was the same. The jocks, geeks, super-freaks, wannabes, queen bees, nerds, goths, and emos. What group did she belong in? Probably with the super-freaks or the goths, despite what she was wearing that day. The said green boots, a white and green striped dress that went quarter-thigh and sleeves that draped over her hands.**(*)** Her midnight black hair was let loose, and her bangs stopped right above her ice blue eyes. Her dark purple and black backpack was hanging on over both her shoulders, and her luggage was in a gray carry on.

She played with the edge of her dress, feeling as if all eyes were on her, which she honestly knew they weren't, but couldn't help but feel paranoid. She made her way to the auditorium as the hallways slowly became more and more vacant. She took a seat in the very back left corner, not wanting to sit next to anyone, and just decided to let other people sit next to her.

She hugged her backpack tighter, out of nervousness and slight coldness as a boy with odd green hair sat next to her on her right, a boy with blonde hair and an even odder curled eyebrow to the other boy's right as well. The green haired boy seemed to have a natural frown on his face, and his eyes met hers, it seemed to deepen. He looked away and narrowed them at the stage in the front of the room.

"Ah, what a beautiful lady to have be sitting near me," said the blonde, his hair covering his left eye as he leaned forward so he could see Robin, and gave a friendly, almost flirtatious smile. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Was he talking to her? Beautiful? Her? She thought those words were in two different dimensions, like Spongebob and Phineas and Ferb. They weren't even on the same channel! She blushed, but felt a butterfly in her stomach after hearing the compliment.

"Shut up ya' Love Cook," The boy next to her muttered. He looked at her and said, "Don't feel flattered. He says that to everyone," he said narrowing his eyes at her.

Her happiness faded twice. Once, for the compliment that wasn't THAT meaningful, and twice, for the way he said that made it seem as if he didn't WANT her to be happy.

"Oi, ya' useless marimo, both you AND I know that she actually deserved it," the blonde said, angrily, leaning forward again to make sure she heard.

He scoffed, "The day I think that women deserve compliments is the day that a woman things that YOU deserve one,"

"YOU WANNA GO?!" he yelled, obviously pissed off.

"Oh, god, will you two morons shut up? I don't even know who you are, so you don't have the right to intrude on my peace and quiet! It's bad enough that I've been sitting here for half an hour, the auditorium is noisy, and the stupid speech hasn't even started!" a girl with orange hair hissed, turning to them pissed off as well.

"I'm Zoro, this idiot is Sanji. Now you know us, so we have the right to 'intrude' on you," the boy with green hair said bluntly and continued arguing with 'Sanji.'

The orange haired girl huffed, but as she was halfway back to facing forward, her eyes fell on Robin, who also seemed quite annoyed by the two boys behavior. She smiled, and said, "Hi. I'm Nami. You are?"

Robin stared at her. God, how many times would she be put under a spotlight in one day? She mumbled, "Robin" but it came out as "Umbim," not that it mattered. Either way, Nami couldn't hear her, but she pretended she did.

"Ok. That's a nice name!" she faked, but smiled for real, then turned back to face the front as the speech finally started. Zoro and Sanji's bickering finally stopped as the lights went off.

The speech was boring, and the principal, Edward Newgate, seemed scary, but honorable and respectable. All students lined up in according to their names, and their schedule and room numbers would be given to them. L's, M's, N's, O's, and P's.

"Name?" the lady at the desk said. Short blonde hair, blue eyes, with the top of her hair in a bow-ish sort of thing. Her nametag read, "Otohime."

"Nico Robin," she said clearly. She HAD to be clear with authority. It would be rude not to.

"Nico Robin….ah, here! Hey, looks like I'm your Science teacher! Well, I'll see you tomorrow in 3rd period little one!" she said cheerily. So Mrs. Otohime was her science teacher….at least she seemed nice.

She folded up her schedule and put it in her backpack, and focused her attention more on the room number. 2 people per room, 100 rooms per floor, 10 rooms of bedrooms, two cafeterias after every fourth floor, one gym, and one place to hang out in at the very top… Her room number was 502, so she should be going to the 8th floor, with the lobby as a quarter of the school itself along with the second floor.

As she made her way through the crowd, she smiled to herself knowing someone had noticed her. 3 people, actually. And one of them, she saw again. Nami. The other girl smiled cheerily at Robin waving at her. Robin subconsciously returned it, and then quickly strolled away, embarrassed for some reason.

She leaned back against the peach covered elevator walls, the cold air disappearing as the warmth of the many bodies inside increased the temperature slightly. The awkwardness lingered in the air, the only sounds heard was the breathing of people, and the cliché elevator music. Well, at least that's how it should've been.

Why elevators were so quite, she did not know. Perhaps people thought it was rude to talk obnoxiously when many people were cramped up in a small area. Sadly, not everyone thought that. Robin was quite disturbed that she, and one, loud, obnoxious immature boy were in an elevator. Alone. And he was slobbily eating meat, bits of the oily, food flying into the air and landing on her perfectly silky soft raven hair. He acted as if she wasn't there. And he continued eating like an idiot, his butt on the floor, grinning without a care in the world.

As her blue eyes stared disgustingly at him, they fell on his schedule, where his name was revealed, and was also the last thing she saw before a rather large chunk of meat slapped her across the face and covered her eyes.

Monkey.

D.

Luffy.


	2. Meat Eating Roomate

**Hiyo! Thanks to the people who read and reviewed. I didn't plan on posting again today, but my family's boring, and it's Thanksigving! So, why not, ya know? Yea…**

**(*) Luffy's Baka Song on Skypiea**

* * *

She waited and breathed calmly until the disgust of an oily piece of junk in her face went away. She grabbed it, tossed it on the floor, and calmly opened her eyes, thinking she had gotten over it, and said, "Excuse m-" she was cut off with black eyes looking at her curiously, and a mouth two times bigger than the average head. The disturbance came back as she covered her eyes.

"Mmm!" he…moaned, his mouth full, but then swallowed, "I didn't notice you there!" he spoke cheerily, closing his eyes and grinning like an idiot. She made a gap between her ring and middle finger, enough to look at him, and frowned, "Yes, well, could you try not being so…messy, when you eat?" she asked, taking a piece of meat out of her hair.

"Messy? This is the cleanest I've ever eaten! Isn't that funny?" he chuckled with his smile muting some sounds.

She stared at him in thought. This… was odd. This school wasn't supposed to have hooligans in it. It was an extremely expensive school, not as much as most boarding schools, but not anyone could be in it, either. A boy like him couldn't have came from a family with enough money to afford this. A boy with messy black hair, a scar under his eye, and an old dusty straw hat with a red ribbon tied around it perched on his head. Certainly not him.

Her pot of curiosity was boiling, so she decided to ask him, starting off with a simple conversation. "This is a nice school, yes?"

"Hmm?" he said, looking up at her, his mouth only a little bit full, giving him a cute look, "Eh, it's okay. Not the nicest school I've been to,"

What. What?! NOT the nicest school? This school seemed more valuable than the freaking WHITE HOUSE.

"It-t's not?" she stuttered, taken back, "My mother could barely afford this school! How did you-?!"

"Oh, I got a scholarship."

… "I'm sorry, you what?"

Robin was an A++ student, and even SHE didn't qualify for a scholarship.

"You must have studied a lot then…"

"Study? That's a good one!" he started laughing his high-pitched little giggle again.

"How did you pass the test but not have studied?!" this was the most out of character she had ever gotten.

"Oh, I didn't take the test! My grandpa is the vice-principal, and my brother's the after school martial arts teacher. He teaches one of my best friends, did ya' know that? And he doesn't like to wear shirts very much, even in the winter time. Isn't that weird? My brother's an idiot!" he burst into a giggle fit. "But I can see your not an idiot, since your wearing a long sleeve and… wait. That's a dress. YOU'RE AN IDIOT, TOO!" he fell over with glee.

Her mouth would've been agape if her teeth inside weren't clenched. Her eyes were drained from emotion, and she just stared at the figure, rolling on the pile of meat.

Finally, the door opened to floor 8. Her room was to the very right when she walked out, and she turned to look at the boy, expecting him to be walking out, too, be he was still there, rolling. She continued to stare, and as the door was about to close, he finally said, "HEY! WAIT!" but he didn't make it in time. The door had closed. She furrowed her eyebrows in pity for whoever had to share a room with that moron.

502. Her room. She walked in to be greeted with a bunk bed, a flat screen TV, a bathroom, a circular dining table for two, and a small kitchen set with a marble counter top, two cupboards, an oven, and a stove. It was so nice, and all in a maybe 12x15 foot room.

She wondered who would her roommate be. Maybe that Nami-girl. It was better than having to meet someone new, again. She unpacked her things, mostly the said gothic stuff. Fishnets, darker colored dresses similar to the one she was wearing, turtlenecks, plain purple shirts, two pairs of high heeled black boots, some converse, black sandals, and other things that were actually quite girly.

Two closets, one for her, one for the other person. The bunk bed would be an issue, though. Many people, no matter what age, were picky on who slept on what when it came to those, herself included. Quite immature of herself, she put all if her things, her backpack her luggage and all, on the top bunk so it would be claimed hers, the only thing not up there was her phone, which was in a dress pocket. She smiled, satisfied, then decided to explore the school hallways and her classes themselves so she wouldn't get lost tomorrow.

She headed out, and got inside the other elevator, the one to the right of the one she had first arrived in, and pressed the button to the first floor. Coincidentally, as soon as her elevator closed, the other opened and out came, none other than the meat eating moron.

"Hmmm… **(*) **Minami no shima wa, atatakai, paina puru puru, atama pokapoka, aho baka! Atatakai wa, minami, no shima, puru, puru paina, atama pokapoka, baka aho!" he sang with a cute voice as he slowly, lightly stomped halfway across the hallway, until he realized that he was supposed to just turn right as soon as he left the elevator… "Oh, crap!" he cursed and walked back.

…Room 502….

"Hmm… Kita no, shima wa, samui, hyakoi, koikoi, atama buruburu, aho baka! Kita no, shima wa, samui, buru, buru atama, koikoi hyakoi, baka aho!" he sang the last part of the song, stomping in like the idiot he truly was. He put his bags down. His eyes searched around the room until they stopped at the bunk bed. JACKPOT! He grabbed the fence of the bed, which kept whoever sleeping there from falling off and pulled himself up, looking at it, smiling. However, his happy smile turned into a sad pout, and his eyebrows furrowed, as he saw luggage on it already, which meant someone had already decided to claim it…

"EH?!" he furrowed his eyebrows and stared at it, as of doing so would make the luggage go away. Finally, he let go, and let himself fall on the floor. "Mmm…what should I do?" he spoke to himself, "I don't want to just take their stuff off….but I WANT that bed…." He closed his eyes and tapped his forehead with his finger, "Eh, I'll just ask whoever it is to trade when we meet…OOH! MEAT!" he threw his stuff on the bottom bunk, along with his hat, and went out to eat, as if just eating 12 sticks of meat would fill HIM up!

He waited there, and played with his shirt as the elevator slowly came to him.

"Yo!" he said cheerily as he was greeted with the girl he had met a while ago, but Robin, on the other hand, wasn't as cheery to see him as he was to her.

"Oh! Uh, hello…" She certainly did not expect to see him so soon.

"Where ya' going?" he asked as they switched spots.

"I forgot my headphones…they help pass time…" she mumbled.

"Oh. Okay. See ya' later!" he waved.

"Oh. Uh, sure, great…" she said, as she went over to her room and pulled out the key and stuck it in the lock as soon as the doors started to close.

"Oi! What are you doing messing around in my room!?" Luffy yelled, pissed off, but he never got the chance to say anything else as the doors shut on him for the second time that day.

"What the…" Oh. SHIT. Did he just say HIS room? HIS ROOM? No. NO, no, no. NO! She jumbled with the lock, struggling for it to hurry up, but as she finally opened it, her heart dropped. There on the bed, lay an old straw hat.


	3. Mugiwara, Marimo, Martial Arts Migraine

**I've had two hours of sleep in the last 24 hours, due to the Black Friday Sale. I freakin got back at 7:30! -_-  
**

**Review, please!  
**

**Translation:**

**Ojiichan = Grandpa**

**Niichan = Big Brother**

**Ossan = Old Man**

**Sugoi = Awesome, cool, etc. (You people should know this it's like Luffy's catch phrase!)**

**Mugiwara = Straw Hat**

**Gomennasai = Sorry (Formal)**

* * *

Robin sat down on her-er Luffy's bed and sighed. HE was her roommate. HE was her MEAT-EATING ROOMATE. She looked at the clock on her phone. 3:12. The day was far from over. 6-8 hours were left until she had to go to sleep… Even if she COULD somehow ignore him, he was her ROOMATE. He would be the last thing she saw before she fell asleep and the first thing she would see when she woke up.

"OI! YOU! GET OUT OF MY ROOM!" the mugiwara boy yelled, pointing an accusing finger at her, barging in.

"But I told you, I need to get my headphones," she said calmly, even though she thought she was about to explode out of embarrassment.

"What does that have to do with anything? Whatever. Get your headphones!"

She sighed at his stupidity and climbed to the top bunk, reached in her backpack and dug her headphones out of there.

"OI! What's your stuff doing up there?"

She sighed once more, and stared at him, giving him a hint.

…

"EH?! YOU'RE MY ROOMATE! Wait… There's something I realized I need to ask you…"

Oh. That's right. She had never told him her name. He didn't even know that she knew his.

"Can I PLEASE have the top bunk?" he asked making an adorable pouty face.

She sweatdropped.

"No, and by the way, my name's Robin," she muttered and brushed past him.

"Aww man….Whatever…. So where ya' going now, Robin?" he asked closing the door behind her and following her after retrieving his hat from his bed.

"To the lobby, and maybe the second floor. I want to know where my classes are so I won't get lost tomorrow."

"Oh! That's a good idea! I'm coming with you!"

"Well won't you need your schedule?"

"Nah, I already memorized it. I got it when ojiichan started to help that ossan Whitebeard get ready for the new year."

Robin inwardly smiled with Luffy's nickname for Mr. Newgate, and the fact that he called him 'ossan.'

They waited as the elevator door closed and they started heading down to the lobby.

Silence and awkwardness was between them…well, at least for Robin. Luffy was chatting his way through it, with ojiichan this, niichan that, stupid teacher Smoky this, best teacher Shanks that.

"Yeah! Did ya' know that Shanks gave me this hat? He used to be my babysitter, so I've known him since I was 6. My friends Sanji and Zoro like him, too, because he lets them off the hook all the time since they're my friends."

Her interest sparked there. What a coincident that she had already met Luffy's two best friends. How ironic that they were nothing like him.

"Do they happen to be blonde and…green haired?" she asked him, talking for the first time since they got in the elevator.

"Ah! Yes! Do you know them?" he asked, obviously excited by the way he was pulling the end of his hat down to his chin.

"Hardly, you could say. They merely sat next to me during that speech Mr. Newgate was giving."

"Mr. Newgate? Who the hell is that?"

…

"Ossan," she sighed, having to stoop so low as to insult authority for him to get it.

"Oh! Really? Okay! I'll remember that! SUGOI! Look at this painting!" he exclaimed, turning around to look at the painting behind them, "It's a picture of meat! Has it always been there?"

The door to the elevators opened, and Robin walked out, but as to her horror, as she turned around, Luffy was STILL in gaze of the meat on the wall.

"Luffy!" she called, as the doors started closing.

He turned around. "Eh? Oh! DAMN IT! NOT AGA-"

He left her there, sweatdropping again. How many times in the last half an hour? 3?

She sighed and waited for him by the chairs and sofas next to the elevators.

"Crap," he said, looking down at the elevator buttons, pouting. "Again? Stupid elevator…Ah! I'll call her and tell her to wait for me!" he exclaimed happily, pulling out his phone.

It took the mugiwara boy ten seconds of dialing his ojiichan's number to realize that it wasn't Robin's, and that he didn't even know it at all.

* * *

Sanji was walking down the aisle of the 6th floor and was about ten feet from the elevator when he heard it.

"DAMNIT! STUPID OJIICHAN BEATING HIS RETARDED NUMBER INTO MY MIIIIIIIND!" it started fading away by 'number' though.

The blonde sighed. He would bet his curly eyebrow that it was his old friend, Luffy. And he must know Luffy pretty well. He wouldn't bet his eyebrow for shit!

* * *

"Eh… How long does it take to get to the lobby?" Robin mumbled.

DING! The elevator rang as the door opened, and out came Luffy, looking as though he had forgotten the whole elevator incident.

"Oi! Robin!" he called and walked towards her, grinning like an idiot.

She smiled, seeing him. It all was a big rush to her, being friends with a boy. Most girls would probably be past this phase the first two years out of elementary, but, Robin was Robin. She thought it was highly inappropriate.

"Yosh! Let's go!" he grinned, throwing his arms in the air, hitting a girl with sky blue hair in the process.

"Ow!" she cried, covering her face where the now red mark was.

"Ah! Gomennasai!" Luffy apologized, bowing.

Yes, Luffy never ceased to amaze her. There she was, thinking he was a meat eaing, rude, impolite, immature, little kid, but there HE was, bowing and saying sorry.

"Hai. It's okay," she smiled, and walked away, satisfied with his sincerity.

"That was weird!" he stated obviously, giggling agin, and started to walk to the next left exit.

"Luffy, where are you going?" Robin asked.

"To the Starbucks! Look they even sell scarves!" he exclaimed, excited.

Robin sighed for the…. Lots, of times that day. One had to be patient with a boy like this. It made her wonder how those other two handled him, who had erupted into a fight within a 20 second conversation.

"Robin!" he called from the unseen corner.

She gave a tired smile and walked to the left, to see Luffy trying on a puffy black cotton scarf. It looked good, she supposed, it matched his black jeans, white button up, and…sandals. It made him seem more mature than he really was. She liked it.

"Okay," she spoke, aware of what he was going to ask.

"Okay? SUGOI! How did you know I was going to ask you to pay for it?!"

Pay for it? WHO SAID THAT?! Well, she might as well, he seemed so attached to it already, spinning it left and right around his neck, only to decide it was good the way it was in the first place.

"Well, I just do.." she mumbled quietly.

"Okay. Let's pay for it with the coffee! I already ordered for us."

"You ordered for us? How did you know what I would like?"

"I didn't. I just ordered what I did, but two of them!"

She sighed AGAIN. She was very specific with her diet; she had to stay healthy!

She only drank soy, skim, or almond milk, she hated artificial flavors, she wanted it unsweetened, and it HAD to be decaf. She got too hyper when it wasn't. It made her feel upset that she could have to throw away a coffee that Luffy ordered he-

"I got a caramel mocha with skim milk, it's unsweetened, and it's decaf. That okay?" he asked, tilting his head and crossing his arms.

What.

"Tha-that's great," she stuttered, "That's actually perfect,"

"Yosh! Not a lot of people like that combination, but Sanji tells me, if I eat all of that meat, I have to drink something healthy to even it out…"

Yes, things were getting creepy. Luffy would sure have an interesting death…

As they walked down the hallways to find their first classes, Robin just stared down at her coffee, the odd, coincidental coffee. Luffy, on the other hand, loudly slurped his, gave a satisfied sigh, then did the whole thing over again, all while fooling around with his scarf.

When she finally looked up from her cup, she was greeted with classrooms in the 70 wing. Both of their first classes was in Room 07

Had they really walked that far?

"Luffy!" she spoke, tapping his shoulder lightly, "Why didn't you tell me we were in the 70 wing?"

"What are you talking about? Our first class is right here! I memorized it, and yours says it, too!"

…

"Luffy?"

"Hai?"

"It's upside down,"

"OH, CRAP!" he cursed, pouting, then turned the schedule right side up and said, "YOSH! It's back to normal! Now, let's head for the first wing! Shi, shi, shi!"

Robin was extremely annoyed. At first, maybe it was A LITTLE cute that he was dense, but now, it just got them into useless, crap, that completely wasted their time.

As they started walking back, they heard an, "OI, LUFFY!" and a, "GET OVER HERE YA' SHITTY MUGIWARA BOY,"

"Eh? Who said that?" he asked, looking around, his hand above his eyes as though there was sunlight.

A sigh. "TURN. AROUND."

And he did so, quickly, while Robin did, too, but not that excited as he was.

"Haha! ZORO! SANJI! I'M OVER HERE!" he yelled, waving his arms like an idiot.

Robin sweatdropped.

"WE WERE THE ONES CALLING YOU, MORON!" they said simultaneously.

"Shi, shi, shi! I know!" he said, walking towards them, happily, while Robin awkwardly followed him at a slower pace.

"Hey, what the hell is she doing here?" Zoro asked bluntly, pointing at her with his thumb.

She would've blushed out of embarrassment if it didn't seem like he didn't really care.

"Ah, the beautiful lady, again! I never actually caught your name," Sanji flirted.

"Robin. It's Robin, " she mumbled, quietly.

"Then may I call you…ROBIN-CHWAN?" he had yelled that last part, and even had a perverted look on his face, which made Luffy laugh, and Zoro look away in annoyance.

Robin DID blush that time. "I-I suppose you could…"

"Yosh! Do you guys want to come with me and Robin to look for our lasses today so we won't get lost tomorrow?" Luffy asked, tilting his head again.

"Ah, sure. I f I get to keep talking to Robin-chan,"

"Sure, I guess. Not like there's anything else to do," Zoro muttered.

Under some freaky coincidence, they all had the same homeroom, number 07, and so they were off.

They chatted casually, while Luffy just screwed around with his scarf and his hat.

Then out of nowhere, he came up with an odd simile.

"Hey! We're like those people from the Wizard of Oz!"

…

"What?" the other three said simultaneously.

"Yeah, ya' see! Robin's like that girl with the annoying dog, I'm the scarecrow guy with my hat, see?" he said, tapping his hat, "Sanji's that coward lion guy cause he can never ask a girl out,"

"WANT ME TO KICK YOUR ASS?!"

"And Zoro's like that robot thing because he's lazy, and has no heart cause' he's a jerk! SHI SHI SHI!"

"I'LL KILL YOU, I SWEAR!"

"Luffy, what made you think that?" Robin asked curiously.

"Well, that," he pointed into a nearby shop. It sold one of those lame 'wise words of wisdom shirts' and one of them read, 'KEEP CALM AND ACT LIKE THE WIZRD OF OZ,'

…

The other three tilted their heads in confusion.

"What kind of place sells something like that?" asked Robin.

"What kind of moron would actually buy that shirt from a gay store?" asked Zoro.

"Better question: Why aren't YOU buying it, marimo?" insulted/asked Sanji.

"YOU WANNA GO, NOSEBLEED?!"

"I'M IN MARTIAL ARTS, MARIMO, AS OF YOU COULD BEAT ME!"

Luffy laughed, clapped, and stomped his feet simultaneously, while Robin held her head with her hand. She had never had this much excitement in one day, and it had only been 3 hours and a half since she had first walked through the doors. She was sure a Mugiwara, Marimo, Martial Artist Migraine was coming on.


	4. The Mugiwara Moron Group

**Yay! I'm back! And…. It's only been two days….huh. Well, last day of Thanksgiving break before I go back to school…. I'm actually pretty excited. First day in Art Class! (I go to a visual and performing arts school.) But, I HAVE ONLY 50 MINUTES. This'll probably be the shortest chapter.**

**Hai = Yes**

**So, should I put all of the current crew in? Or just up to Robin? You tell me, people, I'm just winging this as I go, honestly.**

* * *

Robin was sitting at a chair at Starbucks, embarrassed and bushing, felling completely stupid. The other two boys wanted to go back to Starbucks after they had heard that Robin and Luffy had gone.

* * *

"So. Why are you two hanging out, exactly?" Zoro asked, sipping his Salted Caramel Mocha.

"Yeah, why are you hanging out with this moron, Robin-chwan?" Sanji asked, taking a bite of his blueberry scone.

Robin didn't answer, she was too shy. It didn't matter before, because Luffy was a moron. As if he really cared what she acted like. But these two, were different. At least Zoro was.

"OH! Because Robin and I are roomates now!" Luffy grinned.

Zoro and Sanji almost choked.

"Eh?!"

"Hm? What's the matter?" Robin asked, genuinely curious.

"Uh, Robin, no offence, but you seem like a smart girl and all, but how STUPID could you be to NOT realize this?!" Zoro yelled.

"HEY! DON'T CALL HER STUPID, MARIMO! But Robin-chwan, it IS kinda' surprising that you haven't noticed." Sanji said.

"…I'm sorry, what are you talking about?" she spoke, nibbling on her chocolate cake-pop.

She had been panicking little while ago, but now, realizing it was them, she realized that it was probably something stupid.

"Yeah, whatcha' talkin' about guys?" Luffy asked, casually stealing Robin's food and eating all of it immediately.

Robin stared and furrowed her eyebrows at Luffy annoyed, but all she got back was a grin.

"Okay. Let me put this in the simplest way possible. A BOY. And A GIRL. TOGETHER. In ONE. DAMN. ROOM. I know this isn't really what you would do, Robin, but this IS Luffy we're talking about. He could be doing something that could lead to it with out even KNOWING." Zoro explained, motioning at the boy who was scratching his head in confusion, the only thing he understood were the words, 'girl,' 'boy,' and 'Luffy.'

* * *

That's how she had gotten there. Yup. It was all true. And now, she realized that it was HIGHLY inappropriate to be sharing a room with a boy. What kind of pervert would do that?!

Damn it, another migraine was coming on, she could freaking feel it!

She slowly put her head sideways on the table, eyes closed, breathing, just trying to calm herself down. If she wasn't so shy, she could be consider a drama queen.

* * *

Meanwhile a certain orange haired girl walked to the front of the Starbucks, but spotted a familiar girl, two annoying boys and one more she didn't recognize.

She walked over to them, different reactions from all. Nothing from the girl, an "Eh? Who the hell are you?" from the unknown one, a muttered "Shit," from Zoro, and a sigh of joy from Sanji.

She ignored the other three and pulled a chair from another table to theirs, inviting herself confidently. She nudged the girl's shoulder, and frowned when she got a moan.

"Hey. What the heck's wrong?" Nami asked, pity within the reach of her emotions.

"I have a migraine," she mumbled softly, shyly, lifting her head up, but her face was still covered due to her hands.

"Ouch. Why?"

"Oi, witch!" Zoro interrupted, "Why the hell are you here?!"

"SUGOI! YOU'RE A WITCH?! THE WIZARD OF OZ GROUP IS COMPLETE! You don't happen to be from the west, do you?" Luffy asked.

"Haha. No. I'm from New York. FYI, smart-one, that's in the east,"

"Psh. I know that! I'm not an idiot!"

Robin groaned, Nami raised an eyebrow, Sanji insultingly laughed, and Zoro scoffed.

"Anyways, who the hell are you?" Luffy asked again.

"The name's Nami,"

"Yosh! I'm Luffy! You're part of my group!"

"Ey-ey-ey! Who said this was you're group? If it belongs to anyone it's MINE!" Sanji growled.

Zoro scoffed again, "Psh. If it's YOUR group, we might as well be the servants to the prince from the kingdom of LAMEASSES," he insulted.

Luffy laughed, "Haha! Good one, Zoro, right, Nami?" Luffy said, harshly patting, almost hitting, Nami's back repeatedly.

Nami gritted her teeth, and slapped all of their heads except for Robin's, and said, "WHO THE HELL SAID I WAS PART OF ANYONE'S GROUP?!"

"ME!" Luffy whined, "Didn't you just hear me? What do you have a house on your head or something?"

"I TOLD YOU I'M NOT FROM THE DAMN WEST!"

Nami sighed.

"Let me guess, you got it from these idiots?"

Robin nodded, and softly replied, "Hai…"

"Why do you hang out with these Mugiwara Morons, then?"

Robin gave a tired smile, and said happily, "Because I'm one too, I suppose,"


	5. His Love For X-Boxes

**Yosh! Reviews make me happy, and I'm bored, I just got a review from an anonymous viewer, but, it cheered me up, and so here I am! I hadn't really thought of putting Vivi in the group, I just made her a side character in chapter 3, but now that I think about it, she IS a Straw Hat Member… so yeah, I'll do it! But… Bon Clay… even though he DID help Luffy in Impel Down, I think it'll be too hard for me to put him in somewhere and just act like a person who can be quiet and not make a scene. Don't take this the wrong way, ANYBODY. Bon Clay's one of my favorite characters, but I just think he won't fit in. Thank you, peoples for understanding! **

**Oh, and I'll do up to Brook, and maybe put Jinbe in as a reoccurring character. I mean, there's obviously a reserved spot for him. He even SAID he'll join after he's done doing whatever he had to do. Just don't expect them to all be put in this chapter. This story is going to be SLOW moving as HELL.**

**The song is 'Iris' by The Goo Goo Dolls… Yes that's a funny name… Sry if you don't like my song choice…t made me feel happy writing it. Fluff sort of stuff, maybe. **

**Yeah... I really like this chapter. I**

**Arigatou = Thank You**

**Baka = Stupid, Idiot, etc.**

* * *

They had stayed at the Starbucks for a while, getting to know each other better. And before they had known it, it was 9:47. They rest went back to their dorms, including Luffy, but Robin to stay there and read a book for a while. It was relaxing. _And I don't want the world to see me…'Cause I don't think that they'd understand…When everything's made to be broken… I just want you to know who I am._

63 pages later, it was 10:15, and she decided to head back. She waited in front of the elevator, and on the elevator, until she was right in front of her own door. As she jiggled the key through the lock, she expected to see Luffy fast asleep, sleeping like a baby, and maybe some pieces of meat around him.

But, to her surprise and dismay, she opened it up to see him sitting in front of the flat screen TV playing Assassins Creed 3 with an X-Box controller in his hand, music blaring nearby, and yes, pieces of meat around him. At least she got one thing right.

"Luffy," Robin spoke, taking her headphones from her ears.

"Eh? Oh. Hi, Robin!" Luffy smiled looking back and froth from the TV to her, "What time is it now? I haven't checked-Wait! Wait, wait, wait, wait!" He told her, his body roughly moving to his right as he fell over, jamming the buttons on his controller and sticking his tongue out to the left side of his cheek

Robin smiled. Luffy was adorable, and no, she wasn't afraid to admit it. "It's 10:21, Luffy. It's far to late to be playing that," she said.

He peered his eyes, not that it would make a difference because she couldn't see him and said, "But it's still really early! It's only 10, see! I ALWAYS sleep at least at 11:30!"

"Well, I'm afraid that that habit is going to have to stop. Please," she pleaded, "stop playing that game, Luffy," she sat in front of him on the left side of the TV.

YES! THIS WAS HIS CHANCE! He peered at her and pursed his lips, as he stopped playing and looked up to her from the floor. WHY couldn't she understand that he wanted to play? He was killing the Templars left and right! Up and down! He had just traveled back to the past! HE WAS IN THE ZONE! Plus, Zoro and Sanji were already done with the game, and he still had a t least 25% more to go!

He looked at her blue eyes and frowned. Nope. No pity there. At least that's what he thought. There was no chance of her letting him go, either. He gave a short, stubborn sigh, and got up, pouting, turning off the TV and X-Box.

"Arigatou, Luffy-kun," she spoke, somewhat embarrassed of the suffix she had added.

Luffy grinned, satisfied and happy about what she now called him.

"I'm gonna brush my teeth now," he said to her, walking in the bathroom

She smiled, happy. Yes it's already been said, but she couldn't help it! He, himself, and Luffy were contagious. She had talked so much today, that it could fill in a whole week for her back at her old school. She couldn't help but think about showing off her new friends to her old school… it sounded so lame and corny, yes, but it was something that she had never done before, showing off. Someone was sure to beat her up for trying to fit in in the past, but now, she knew she wasn't alone. She wasn't even sure if anyone had the actual guts to stand up to Zoro and Sanji. Their faces when they were pissed off screamed, 'Look at me, and you will never see the light of day again,' Sadly, the only person that saw those faces so often were each other.

But that didn't matter. Nami, now that she thought of it, could also probably beat up a lot of guys, seeing as though she isn't comfortable hitting other girls.

Hold it! Why was she thinking of this so much, anyway? Just forget about it, Robin, she told herself. She stood to the left side of the doorway to the bathroom, back against the well, legs crossed over one another, and her hand was playing the beat to the song 'Hypocrite,' by Skye Sweetnam on her right thigh.

"Yosh! I'm done! Hey! Look! I left the music player on," he spoke mumbling the last part to himself as he burst from the door.

As Robin passed by him to go to the bathroom, she noticed he hadn't even changed into something more comfortable to sleep in. But she didn't pay much mind to it as she locked the door.

Luffy started to whistle his Baka Song and jumped into his bed with his phone in his hand. No, he didn't like wearing pajamas. They were always so hot or so cold. But during the day, he noticed that when he wore regular clothes, the temperature was always perfect, so he decided to wear them to bed.

He looked up at the bed above his, pouting. Man, he wanted it so badly!

He tilted his head towards the direction of the door when it opened, his face emotionless, deciding to give Robin the cold shoulder.

"Hello, Luffy," she spoke to him, stopping in front of his bed.

He didn't answer, and it made her frown. Loose black shorts that went mid thigh and dark purple tank top. Yes, she LIKED being more comfortable. But back to the point, why was he ignoring her? He was probably upset that she made him go to bed. She looked down to the floor, awkwardly, and silently climbed up her ladder to her bed after turning off the lights, the only thing illuminating the room was the moonlight. Once her head disappeared from sight, he broke into a happy grin, knowing it was working.

He, himself, frowned when he saw a faint reflection of her back against the TV. Silence dawned upon them. He stared up at the bottom of the other mattress, eyebrows furrowed with innocence in the boy's eyes. Ah, Crap. You screwed it up this time, didn't ya' Luffy? He thought to himself. He got up and stared at her. His eyes were just above the bar that kept her from falling off.

Despite the fact that her back was turned, she was at the very edge of the mattress; if there wasn't a bar, she could fall off with a single motion to her right.

"Rooooobin," he whispered, "PST! Roooooooooooooooooooooooooob in!" he screamed in a hushed tone.

No reply. He grabbed the bar and pulled himself up. He put both legs onto the bed, and gently poked her side. "Oi, Robin," he said in a normal, but slightly softer tone.

He crawled to the other side of the bed that was vacant and looked at her face. She was asleep. He gave a smile, knowing that she might not be mad after all.

He was about to crawl back, but her body moved into a more roly-poly shape the instant he moved.

Dang. He didn't want to move, because he might wake her up, but he couldn't stay there forever! As he thought, being the idiot he was, made himself more comfortable by laying down. His arms were narrowly crossed behind his head, and he looked to the ceiling, his head place to the very top of the pillow, unlike Robin's, who was at the very bottom of the pillow.

Drowsiness dawned over him, and sleep pulled him out of reality, his head falling to the right, facing Robin.


	6. They're Back

**I feel so happy! This chapter is dedicated to Cloud Piece. Reviews like that make ME giggle like a fangirl. Yosh!**

**Robin's basically wearing the Thriller Bark Arc outfit, and Luffy's wearing the Post Enies Lobby Arc outfit.**

* * *

She didn't know why, why, why, God put things like this. So she's going to ask him. Why, why, why?!

* * *

Robin's alarm struggled to burst it's annoying sound to the world, but in a way it was good, since it was supposed to wake her in the morning for school. It successfully completed it's mission. Robin had opened her sky blue eyes to sunlight streaming in the window, silence, the only sound heard was the soft breathing of her roommate below her.

She sat up, and hit her head softly on the ceiling, but hard enough to have an instinct to touch it with her hand. Curse her height. She had to blame her mother for that later. She climbed down the ladder, and smiled at the sleeping Luffy. Oh, right. He was upset with her. But there was time for ignorance later. Right now, he needed to wake up. She gently shook his body left and right, until he opened his eyes halfway, then all the way, and topped it off with his idiotic grin. He sat up and rubbed his right eye.

"Good morning, Luffy," Robin greeted a bit nervous.

He opened his mouth to speak, but out came a blaring horn sound. BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! … BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!

Oh, god. Was she hearing things? Maybe too much science fiction reading wasn't good for her.

Then the room started shaking. An earthquake? SHE WAS ON THE 8TH FREAKING FLOOR! Luffy's annoying blaring wouldn't stop either. Now, she was honestly scared shitless.

A jolt of electricity-or some crap similar to that-surged through the ebony haired teen's body, and she instantly opened her eyes. For the hundredth time in her life, reality was worse than her dreams. The instant she got pulled into the horrible world that was life, she was greeted by a, "Hi, Robin," by a giggling Luffy.

She quickly covered her mouth to stop the scream building up in her vocal cords, and sat up as fast as she could. BAM! She hit her forehead on the ceiling and merely fell back down on the bed, now covering her forehead. She clenched her teeth in pain.

"OI! ROBIN! ARE YOU OKAY?!" asked a panicking Luffy as he got up and put one knee on either of her sides and put his hands on her shoulders, leaning over her a bit more. She popped her eyes opened and, for the first time in her life, cursed. YES! She cursed. "GOD DAMMIT, LUFFY! GET OFF OF ME!" She turned her head to the open air (or the right, to put things simply) and gently pushed him off her body with both her hands.

"Oi, oi, oi, oi oi oi oi oi oi!" Luffy shrieked, and somehow managed to say in 3 seconds, as he fell down the bed, screaming, "EYAAAAAH!" in a high pitched voice.

Guilt washed over her and she quickly crawled down the ladder despite the thump in both her heart and forehead. Robin quickly went down on her knees and looked down at him, but in a more appropriate manner.

"L-Luffy-kun? Are you okay?" she asked softly, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Yosh! I'm okay!" he declared sitting up.

Robin sweatdropped at his quick recovery, but smiled relieved. She looked out the window and saw sunlight. Sunlight? The sun wasn't supposed to come until seven. Suddenly, she heard the annoying sound that Luffy was making in her dream, and the sound of the vibration similar to the 'earthquake.'

Her face paled. NO. NO! No, no. She climbed up the ladder to retrieve her phone and unlocked the screen. 7: 24.

"Luffy!" Panic rising in her voice.

"Eh?" he said, scratching his head in an innocent way.

"It's seven. TWENTY. FOUR," she spoke as calmly as she could, but failed.

"So what?"

"Luffy," she slowly, climbing down and kneeling in front of him as if he was a child.

"Yeah?"

"We have school today. And it starts at 7:45."

She paused a moment to let it settle into his dense head.

…

"OH, CRAP! I FORGOT! I CAN'T BE LATE FOR SHANKS' CLASS!" he dashed into the bathroom leaving her staring at the wall.

* * *

Somehow, they had finished in a record time of 14 minutes, and were waiting for the elevator with 7 minutes to spare. A minute to get down, and they had the rest of the time to get to Shanks' homeroom.

Robin as wearing a purple long sleeve dress similar to the one she wore yesterday, but it wasn't made out of cotton, and had lace embroidered edges. She wore black boots with fishnets that were connected to the shorts under her dress with suspenders.

Luffy wore a white shirt with red edges on the collar, arms, and bottom edge. It read, "Galley-La," on it, and had a somewhat anchor shaped item on it, along with his casual jeans folded up into shorts, sandals, and his signature straw hat.

He whistled so casually without a care in the world on the elevator, and then switched to humming when they were out of it.

"Yosh! I'm here!" Luffy burst into the door as he entered. Robin lightly blushed out of embarrassment due to the staring that was being caused by Luffy's outburst.

"Ah! Luffy! Long time no see!" Shanks exclaimed, smiling.

"I saw you yesterday, baka!" Luffy cracked up.

The whole class turned to Shanks expecting to see fury and anger, especially Robin.

But, there were surprised to see him chuckling with him.

"Alright, Luffy, you can go sit next to your friends. Oh! And you're Ro-" but, he got cut off.

"Yosh! Oi, Zoro! Sanji! I'm here!" he yelled, making himself known to the obvious.

The two boys groaned out of embarrassment.

"Shi, shi, shi!"

"…Alright. Done, Luffy?"

"Hai!"

"You SURE?"

"…Well, actually, no."

"Nope. You're done," Sanji cut in.

"Maan," Luffy whined.

"Okay. Robin, correct?" Shanks said, turning to the rather tall girl.

"Hai," she softly spoke.

"Good. I remembered for once. Now, you can go sit next to Zoro,"

"Crap," mumbled Zoro

"Hm. Okay, so, I take it you know him, so go. Go on!"

She smiled and nodded.

"Hi, Robin-chwan!" Sanji said happily as he was one seat away from her, much like the first time they had met.

Robin smiled back.

"Okay, attendance," he announced.

Average attendance, yes. But Robin noticed the names of her classmates were rather unsual.

Absalom, Brook, Chopper, Duval, Eustass Kidd, Franky, Genbo, Helmeppo, Ivankov, Jinbe, Kalifa. She stopped there. Her heart dropped. She thought she was going to die. But the list went on. Luffy, Marguerite, Nami. Well, at least Nami was there. But that…didn't erase the problem. Ohm, Porche. Why did the world hate her? Rob Lucci. Her life was over. Sanji, Tashigi, Usopp, Vander Decken IX, Wiper, X-Drake, and Zoro. There was only one name per letter in the alphabet excluding Q and Y, she noticed. But now, that didn't matter. Now, they were back.


	7. Innocence Has Never Looked So Evil

**Eyo. So. I have a question. Would you people rather have my post a 1k chapter every other day, or would you rather have me post a 2.5k to 4k chapter every 2-3 days? Either way, I type the same amount, but…yeah. So. Decide!**

* * *

Lucci, Porche, and Kalifa were tardy, and Robin was horrified when they were placed in front of her. Lucci had looked at her once, his lips curving into a smirk, his same old pigeon seemed to be doing it, too, but Kalifa and Porche remained motionless. How had they found her, exactly? This school was in another freaking state! Had they really followed her JUST to torment her? What the hell was wrong with them?! And to think hey had called HER creepy. Well, at least her friends were sitting next to her…

Nami had noticed Robin's uncomfortable stares at the two students in front of them, and her instinct knew there was something wrong with these people. Zoro, too, had noticed and was scaring Porche shitless with his glare. Sanji was deciding whether to swoon or feel mad at the two girls. Luffy, being the idiot of the group, noticed nothing.

As soon as the bell rang, Robin made a run for it, but didn't really run; it was against the rules. She didn't even stop when Luffy was calling for her. Ah. Right. She had Chemistry with him next. But, that didn't matter. Go, go, GO! She made her way through the crowd, caught off balance as she entered the room, but quickly covered the mistake with a 'mask.'

"Hello, there little girl!" the apparent Chemistry teacher said. Odd looking, she thought. And was he calling her little? She was one of the tallest students around!

"Hello," she replied casually, despite all of her critique.

"Dr. Hiriluk," he said, holding his hand out.

"Robin. Nico Robin," she spoke, shaking it.

"Great! Now…where should I place you for today?" he asked tapping his chin.

"Oi! Rooooobin!" called a high voice. Soon enough, the said voice came closer, and Luffy popped his head into the doorway. "Yo! Who are you, ossan?"

"Luffy!" Robin whispered, and almost even whined.

"Ah, it's okay, I know I'm getting old," Dr. Hiriluk said.

Robin frowned. Why was it that no one was ever offended by Luffy's outbursts, no matter what he said? Maybe it's because they thought he was an idiot, so they paid no mind. But Robin shouldn't pay much mind either, there were other things to think about, like the fact that it looked like that there was groups of three instead of two, judging from the different looking desks.

The bell rang. "Ah, well, you two seem, like friends, so go grab an empty desk," the Chemistry teacher instructed.

Luffy replied his usual, "Yosh!" while Robin replied with her usual motion of her head.

As they sat down, Robin felt a little safer, knowing Luffy was her partner and that she would be talking to him for the whole period. Sadly, that ray of happiness vanished as the three she was trying to escape from, came in.

Her faced paled as Lucci started walking towards them. Oh god. She was in the middle seat of the group of three.

"Luffy!" Robin said, as the class started filling with students, making their conversation unnoticeable, "Switch seats with me!"

"Eh? Why? I like this seat! I just finished making it warm!"

"Luffy, please!"

"No! You already got the top bunk," he pouted.

"But, this is different. Pleas-"

"Nonsense. I'm sure that you're glad to be sitting next to your old friend," said her nightmare behind her, putting his hands on both her shoulders.

Her eyes were filled with fear and stress, but the innocent boy didn't catch it, for he had never met the emotion before.

"Ah! You're friends? Robin! Why didn't you tell me? Yosh! I'm Luffy!" he exclaimed happily, holding his hand out.

Lucci ignored the gesture and said his own name. As class started, Robin noticed that the table to the top left of theirs sat Nami, Porche, and Kalifa. Nami sat to the very right, so as she turned to her right, she mouthed to her, "HELP. ME."

Robin nodded back miserably, and perched her forehead on her arm that was on the desk, and turned to her right, so she would be facing the X-Box lover.

Hiriluk introduced himself, and decided to let the kids do whatever they want. Well, not whatever they want-there would DEFINITELY be a fire. Most kids, though, decided to just talk to one another. Robin instantly turned her whole body to the right facing the boy. He seemed happy he was getting attention; his chin was perched on his palms a while ago, and had almost fallen asleep.

As the two started happily chatting away, Robin was caught with a pink shade on her face; white from paleness, red from embarrassment. Even Luffy frowned with confusion.

Lucci placed his head on the ebony haired girl's shoulder, his arms already around her certainly not comfortable. He was staring to get the feeling Lucci wasn't her friend…maybe an enemy, even.

"Oi. You. Piss off," Luffy demanded.

"Why should I?" he lifted his arm higher. Luffy was ticked off.

"Because. I just told you to," he growled, for the first time as far as Robin's experience, saw no drop of innocence in the seventeen year old's eyes. He moved Lucci's hands from Robin and dropped them, merely letting them drop onto her lap.

"So you don't want me to put my hands on her waist?"

"Does it look like I do, baka?"

"Very well," he said, and just wrapped them loosely around her neck and shoulders.

Shit! Why didn't the teacher see him? What was wrong with this pervert, anyways? Maybe that was why Robin wanted to trade seats with him! Luffy felt responsible for everything. Robin, on the other hand, felt other than the rapid beating of her heart, was a ray of happiness that someone was trying to stand up for her. Lucci was the same.

At her old school called Enies High, he would sexually harass her, as far as the rules went, and would then let Kalifa beat her up when her mind was filled with nothing but embarrassment. Those were just the two people from the group that used to physically hurt her. Their group was called 'CP9' for that was the name of the Lucci's father's company that taught people how to fight. Porche was part of a different group. Those people _emotionally_ hurt her. The 'Amazon Lily's' was their so called name, because that was the town where the leader had came from. So why were there only a three people out of the total of the nine? This was her question.

Luffy frowned once more. He thought. He thought. He thought. What should he do? …Lightbulb!

Robin clenched her teeth in despair and furrowed her eyebrows as she tried to gently break free from the pigeon owner's grasp, but failed nonetheless. She looked at Luffy helplessly. "No," she said, as she saw him starting to take a deep breath. No, no, NO!

But, it was too late.

His mouth filled with air, "DR. HIRILUK! THIS PIGEON-PERVERT KEEPS ON TOUCHING ROBIN, AND WHEN I'M TELLING HIM TO STOP, HE DOES IT EVEN MORE!" Luffy yelled, tattle-tailing like a child, releasing all of the air in his mouth, making the classroom go silent.

The said 'Pigeon Pervert' immediately let go and frowned, darkness and evil within his eyes. But the mugiwara boy didn't flinch, nothing. He stared at him with a blank expression on his face, not looking the slightest bit mad. But, his eyes were a different story. He stared with a glare that made Zoro and Sanji's look cute.

Robin stared at Luffy with pure agony written on his face, not for herself, but for him. He had no idea what was coming to him. Innocence has never looked so evil.


	8. Bumped Down To Second

**Yo, people persons! So, yeah, I'll be going with the 2.5-4k chapters. Yea….Okay. Anonymous people are so inspiring, no? Anyone heard of the song Check Yes Juliet? Best song EVER!**

**Oh, and to Solace in the Chaos, it said in Chapter 7 near the beginning, "Lucci had looked at her once, his lips curving into a smirk, his same old pigeon doing it, too," So, I guess you could say it implies that Hatori was near, or on him. You might of missed that. ;)**

**20 reviews? You guys are so inspiring. :D**

**Can someone PM me or put in a review when there's a part that doesn't make sense? Cuz last chapter, anyone who read it somewhere near 6 hours or below when it was first posted, there was a part that got erased…So reread, if you want. It makes much more sense, now, just saying. XD Same goes for this chap!**

* * *

The bell rang, and as soon as Robin was about to make a run for it, time had started before she was ready, and she was pulled away. She took a deep breath and smiled. Lucci was FAR away from her now…Well, not really, but close enough. She grasped Luffy's hand a he pulled her through the crowd! She had never seen Luffy go so fast before…she couldn't even see him through the crowd! All that was visible was merely their hands.

"Robiiiiiiin!" a voice behind her yelled, but seemed distant. A voice that was so familiar. Luffy grasped her hand harder.

Gears had clicked. Her face paled, she noticed, as white as the hand pulling her. Luffy's skin tone _was_ pretty pale, but not _white._ No one else she knew would really yell her name like that, other than the mugiwara boy. The man pulling her was not him.

She pulled. He grasped. Pull. Grasp. Pull….Grasp….but to no avail. The pigeon owner wouldn't budge. How the heck did he even know where he was going? She knew that she was the most definitely smarter than him, and even she still got a bit lost within the crowds and the way the school was built. She cursed for the fact that it was break, and it would take a whole 20 minutes for her to be free, if he didn't let go.

She _had_ to do something. She could _not_ just let him do this. She was sure to get hurt, and it wasn't as if students actually _told_ teachers when bullying was happening…at least not in Luffy's case.

She pulled through the hot crowd, where she was elbowed, hit, kicked, and slapped, in all sorts of places…Some, she thought, weren't on accident.

"Robiiiiiiin!" he yelled again, closer this time. She could actually see his hat above the crowd, bobbing up and down as he ran.

Things seemed to move faster now. He dragged her left, right, right, left, through halls, up stairs, twisting through the crowd, it all seemed to happen at light speed.

With one final yank, it was like that scene in Nemo, when Marlin was out of the jellyfish reef: empty. She wasn't in a crowded place anymore, and as she caught her balance and landed on foot, then the other, she heard a slam. She turned, and **he** was in front of the double door, which was closed, and _locked. _She looked forward, and looked across the large room, back and forth quickly.

The gym. She was in the gym. They were in the gym. To scared to know what he was doing, she saw sight of an exit to her left. She walked quickly, still not used to running in school. She was surprised when she was halfway there and he hadn't seemed to do anything yet. But as her hand was a foot away from the handle, she was gently kicked on the backsides of knees, making her fall on the said joints. She cursed in her head.

Something banged on the door, along with a muffled yell.

"ROBIN!" Bang. "ROBIN!" Bang. "ROBIIIN!" Bang. It continued.

"Hm," he said, looking at the door, but then to the girl kneeling in front of him. "You left me, Ms. Nico Robin,"

"What the hell are you talking about?" she spat, turning her head in his direction, but not enough to look directly at him.

"It's been a week since school has started at Enies. You weren't there. So of course I had to find you. I wasn't finished from where we had left off," he spoke walking a step closer, then crouching down behind her.

"You abused me," she said, her voice shaking as she felt his breath on her neck, "Of course I left,"

"You shouldn't look at the crime, look at the cover up."

"What the hell are you talking about?" she asked again.

"Kalifa's so jealous of you, Ms. Nico Robin," he whispered, smirking.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"Ah, well, she likes me. I bet you thought that I had been _telling_ that pathetic woman to hurt you, yes?"

…What? What the hell did he mean? Of course it was him! Who else would tell that devil to hurt her? And what the hell did Kalifa liking him have to do with any of this?

"Ah, would you think about it for a bit? I've never _hurt_ you before, you know that?"

"But you sexually harass me,"

"Yes. Now that we have all the pieces, let's put them together now, shall we? If you were to replay this conversation you would find the picture. I 'harass' you. I _NEVER_ hurt you. Kalifa _does_ hurt you. Kalifa likes me. And she's dead jealous of you."

…It fit like a puzzle, and as she put it together, Luffy's banging and yelling went on.

"ROBIN!" Bang, "ROBIN!" Bang. "ROBIN!" BANG! Robin… was who that monster liked.

Her heart stopped. Everything just…stopped. Everything turned black, but refused to go all the way. The banging stopped. The yelling stopped. But out of all the beautiful things happening; the colors, the care and concern through the bangs and yells, just had to stop, and left her nightmares going on. His lips brushed hers, and started going slowly, slowly, closer. He was hardly kissing her yet.

Like the events happening right now, a lot of other things stopped. Things that had followed her like birds since she had been born, stopped flying, and fell towards the ground. Her first kiss, fell, Her pride, fell. Her stress release, fell. And even the one thing she had developed for the short time she had been here, fell. Her happiness.

They were falling, but she could catch them. She just…had to…

"AND! This, is the gym, my dear students, and.. oh, jeez. Am I interrupting you kids?" a slightly familiar voice asked. They were only halfway there when he pulled away. Consider everything caught.

"NO!" she said, and grabbed Lucci's forehead, pushing him down as she pushed herself up.

Otohime was standing there, confused, with a few other students, who were embarrassed.

"But I thought that you two were- Oh. OH. I see what's going on here." She said, but as she saw fear in the ebony haired girl's eyes, changed her mind.

"You! Get over here! I need to slap some sense into you, trying to harass thi-" Otohime started but stopped as Lucci was walking towards the gym's entrance. He unlocked it, and walked out, grabbing Luffy's forehead and pushing him in before he could tackle him.

"Oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi, oi!" Luffy said quickly, stumbling in and quickly catching his balance.

"Eh? Huh!? Robin!" the boy said happily, running over to her and hugging her tightly, lifting her up in the air despite her being taller than him.

"Ah, I see! You were uncomfortable because you didn't want to cheat on your boyfriend!" Otohime said happily.

"What?" the two said, but for different reasons.

"I think you've gotten something wrong, Mrs. Otohime, I'm not his girlfriend," Robin mumbled, embarrassed.

"What? Robin! You have boyfriend? Who is it? It better not be that pigeon bastard!"

Luffy huffed. "Either way, next time I see him, imma' kick his ass up and down this school!

"Oh… I see… My mistake…Ha. You! I remember you now. I have you next period don't I? AND YOU! I NEED TO SLAP SOME SENSE INTO YOU, CUSSING IN FRONT OF A TEACHER!" she spoke, first to Robin, then to Luffy.

And as she said, the teacher started slapping the innocent boy, back and forth.

"Robin!" a voice called behind the crowd of students.

"Nami?" she guessed.

Apparently, she was a good guesser, as the said orange haired girl appeared, along with a familiar blue haired girl.

"What was that about? And who was that? You kept on looking at him in homeroom. And what the hell happened in Chemistry? Do you know those brats I was sitting next to?" she bombarded Robin with questions.

"Er….Well, he attempted to kiss me…He was Lucci…He was being a pervert in Chemistry… and yes, I know them…" she answered.

"Well? Care to explain in DETAIL?"

"Could we speak about this privately later, maybe after school?"

Nami sighed. She was impatient, yes. "I guess so,"

"EHHH!" Luffy yelled exhausted, walking over to him with blood down his face, his tongue sticking out.

"What the hell happened to you?!" Nami asked.

"Eh…." He panted, "That… eh….teacher…"

"Yeah, let's get out of here," Nami said, not wanting to get slapped. The group of four walked out through the way Nami and Otohime had entered. As they walked through the hallways, Nami asked, "How many more minutes left?"

"Eight," said the blue haired girl.

"Really?" Luffy asked, "Wait,"

They could've sworn they heard a CD scratch.

"Who the hell are you?!" he asked.

"Um… My name's Vivi. I believe we've met before. You hit me in the face yesterday, remember?" she told him.

"Oh…That was you?" Robin mumbled while Luffy was still trying to get the picture.

"Hai." Vivi answered, nodding and smiling sheepishly, although there was nothing for her to be embarrassed about.

"Ah! That's right I remember you! I hit you in the face yesterday, didn't I? Why didn't you tell me? I would've recognized you!" Luffy exclaimed happily.

"SHE DID MENTION IT, MORON!" Nami yelled, annoyed, which earned the boy a punch in the head.

"Ehhhh…" he whined, "Why can't you be nicer like Robin?!"

"I AM nice. It's just the fact that you're an idiot, so you deserve to be treated differently," she spoke bitterly.

"Is this what you call a normal conversation…?" Vivi asked, sweatdropping.

"Yes…It takes a while to get used to," Robin smiled, while Vivi nodded happily.

"So, what classes do you guys have next?" asked Nami.

"Science," spoke Robin.

"Ah, me too!" Luffy said happily.

"What a coincidence," Vivi said, smiling.

"We all have Science next? Great!" Nami cheered.

"Do any of you guys know who the teacher is?" Vivi asked.

"It was Mrs. Otohime," Robin spoke.

"Who?" asked Luffy, scratching his head.

"The teacher that slapped you earlier," Nami said for her.

"Ah, crap!" he said for the third time since they all had met.

"Is that you're catchphrase?" Nami mocked, yet was still annoyed.

"…I guess so! I should start saying that more often, shouldn't I?"

"DO YOU WANT TO DI-"

"Oi, Luffy!" someone called behind them.

"Eh?" he questioned, turning around. "Oh? Zoro! Sanji! Do you guys have Science class next?"

"How the hell did you know?" Sanji said.

"I didn't. That's why I was asking you!"

"Things can't get simpler than that," Robin commented.

"Yeah, no kidding," Zoro agreed.

The familiar annoying sound of the school's bell rang, increasing the volume in the halls. It slowly died down, and six started to walk at a faster pace.

* * *

"Just in time!" Nami sighed, relieved and satisfied, bursting through the door of Room 24.

"Nami-swan so beautiful when she's panting!" Sanji spoke happily.

"Would you stop embarrassing yourself?" Zoro spoke in a harsh tone.

"You wanna go?!"

"Would ya' mind 'going' some other time? The bell's about to ring," Nami said, annoyed once again.

The six sat together, forming one whole row. They talked, but each only got to say one thing before the bell rang.

As soon as Mrs. Otohime walked in, Luffy muttered, "Oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap oh crap," over and over, at a rapid pace.

"I HEARD THAT!" The science teacher threw a book at his head.

He whined in pain on the floor, "And they say books can't kill you!"

"You're not dead are you?" she answered, wittily.

"Eh, that's true," he said, sitting back up.

The man who had almost been caught walked in, the two girls that also tormented the former student of Enies High following. This time though, they sat BEHIND her.

"Hm…..Since it's the first day…I'll let you slide… But next time, you're tardy," Otohime warned.

While five of the six friends tried to get any chance they could to turn back enough and stare at the three who seemed to bother Robin, the said girl tried her best not to.

The whole period passed, and not one of the three talked. In fact, they were the first to leave when the bell rang. This time, when someone pulled her hand, she made sure she knew who it was. Yes, it was Luffy… and Nami, too.

They were dragging her to their next class after they had stolen Robin's schedule from her shoulder bag. The other half of the group had Trigonometry. World History was where the two people were dragging the abused girl.

World History. Robin's favorite subject ever since she was eight. Not many people enjoyed history, and in fact, almost everyone hated it. But to her, there was something about historical events and the way people had lived back then that sparked her interest. That and the fact that it was probably in her genes form her mother.

There was no possible way that she could get anything less than an average A on a history test. She had to. She had already planned to be an archeologist when she was out of high school, and the best university on becoming one required a GPA of at least 4.50 and straight A's on every subject. Yes, the expectations were extremely high, but she had to meet them. Failure wasn't an option in life.

She smiled and had actual excitement within her- one from happiness –for the first time that day.

They walked in, and was greeted with ANOTHER ossan. Who which Luffy rudely spoke his trademark, "Hey, who are you, ossan?" followed by a slap to the head and a polite chuckle.

Professor Clover was their teacher, and it already seemed that he had a good feeling about Robin as soon as she walked away from her friends to read a nearby chart.

He placed Robin in the middle of the row, Luffy to her right, Nami to her left, sitting in the last row, for he trusted them…or at least Robin.

While taking a pre-semester test to see what they already knew, she caught a glance at the raven haired boy. And oddly, he smiled. Not a goofy one, not a childish one, not even an adorable one. But a small, polite smile that looked handsome on him, and sent butterflies in Robin's stomach.

Remember that first ray of actual excitement? It's just been bumped down to second place…


	9. One Of A Kind

**Yosh, people. Sorry about the late updates. When was the last time I updated, anyways? Two weeks? Whatever…But, BIG science and dance presentations that costs a LOT of my final grade even though it's the beginning of the freakin trimester. So, this chapter is somewhat of a filler chapter, it doesn't have any cutey moments. -_- Yes, lame, but Usopp appears, and Chopper is mentioned...yeah...it just to adds to the climax…that won't be happening for a while, though. I intend to make this story quite long…**

…

**I usually have some type of useless topic to talk about here, but… I'm bored, and I just crappily painted a miniature stone moose... **

**Okay, we're done here…**

**(*) = Dude, I SWEAR that that could be in a song if I wanted it to be…**

* * *

"History was wonderful, wasn't Luffy-kun?" Robin said cheerily as they walked out of their…history, class.

"Eh…I don't really like history…not that I like school at all," he said, bored.

Robin frowned. "How come? Don't you find it all interesting?"

"Eh… I don't like learning about other people! I like doing things for ME!" he exclaimed, waving his arms in the air for emphasis.

Robin didn't take it as a total excuse, but then again, she was talking to Luffy.

"What class do you have next?" she asked him.

"What does it matter? It's lunch time now!"

"Did you guys completely forget about me?" Nami huffed, catching up to them.

"Oh… I'm very sorry, Nami-chan," Robin said, somewhat sheepishly.

"I TOTALLY forgot about you! Haha!" he laughed.

"JERK!" she punched him.

"EHHH!" he whined.

"Hmm…So, can you answer me now? What classes do you guys have?" she asked, making it fit Nami's wishes, which it did.

The orange haired girl smiled. "I have language arts,"

"So do I!" Luffy said happily.

"Oh… you do? I have P.E. next. Language arts' my last class," Robin spoke nervously for the first time not knowing if she would have any friends in the last two classes.

"Oi. Nami, could you go on without me? We'll meet you at a lunch table. I wanna talk to Robin," Luffy said.

She was about to punch him for telling her what to do, but stopped herself when she saw that he was being serious. "Hmmm…Fine," and with that, she walked away.

"Robin," he spoke, turning to her. "You don't need to be nervous. Zoro and Sanji have P.E. next, too,"

She let out a surprised sigh of relief.

"But," he said, "They have social studies after that…you'll be alone for the last period."

Nervousness washed over her.

"But all you have to do is tell me," he said, adjusting the angle of his head so his eyes were covered, "AND I'LL KICK THAT PIGEON BASTARD'S ASS!" he yelled like an immature child, both his arms in the air, screaming it so loud, everyone in the hallways stopped to stare. (*)

"Oi. What's everyone looking at?" he asked, putting his arms down after coming out of Luffy-Land.

"They're looking at you, Luffy," she spoke, being embarrassed by the boy for the millionth since yesterday.

"Oh. Okay. You can stop staring now, people!" he said, waving his arms around him.

The audience questioned the boy's sanity, but looked away anyways.

"Yosh! Let's go!" he exclaimed, walking to the cafeteria, "Can't wait to eat as much meat as I can!"

Robin walked next to him, smiling, and tried to now think of what was next to occur…she wanted to enjoy what was happening right now.

"Jeez! Where are they?!" Nami mumbled after ten minutes of straight arguing from Zoro and Sanji. "These morons are pissing me o- Oh. Hey, Vivi!" she called to her blue haired friend who was walking with someone she didn't know.

"Oh? Oh. Nami-san! Hi. You wouldn't mind if we sat with you, right?" she asked as she approached the group of three with her friend.

"Not at all. That _is_ why I called you," Nami said, sticking her tongue out. "Who's your friend?" she asked, pointing at the boy who seemed…nervous.

"This is my friend, Usopp-kun," Vivi introduced.

Yeah, he was definitely nervous. He was s_haking. _He was about the same height as Nami, had black, curly, hair, he was pretty skinny, and had an odd, long, nose. But other than his physical appearances, he seemed like a nice and funny guy.

"Is something wrong?" Nami asked, a bit annoyed.

"N-no," he gulped, "Why would I, the great Usopp, be nervous to be talking to an ordinary little girl?!" he boasted.

She would've been pissed off that he called her a 'little girl,' but came to the conclusion that he was both an idiot _and_ a coward, and didn't want to hurt his feelings.

Despite that, she mumbled, "You're lucky I woke up in a good mood. I'm letting a lot of people off the hook.

"BUT…" she continued, "THESE MORONS AREN'T PART OF IT!" She harshly punched both of the bickering 'men.'

"Nami-swaaan," Sanji swooned as blacked out.

"Oi! WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR, BITCH?!" Zoro yelled at the girl.

"THAT WAS FOR BEING IDIOTS, IDIOT!"

"AS IF YOU AREN'T ONE!"

"I OUGHTA SEND YOU TO HELL!"

"Ah-ah, that's nice, Nami-chan, but just try to cool down," Vivi spoke, trying to keep away havoc.

She frowned, but didn't want to go against her friend, and so pursed her lips and kept quiet. As the cafeteria started filling up, they soon saw their two friends, Robin and Luffy, and waved them over.

"OI! Who the hell are you?" Luffy asked Usopp when they sat down. He had leaned in, sucked in his lips, and peered his eyes at the newcomer.

"I-I-I! I! Am the brave Captain Usopp! And let me tell you how lucky you are to be talking to a man who has defeated 24 fierce tigers, all in one day!" he eventually declared, pointing one hand in the air.

"You. Defeated? **24 TIGERS?**" Luffy frowned.

Everyone at the table was quite interested, and had hushed down to listen to their conversation. Luffy was dense, and was highly predictable, but these reactions from him were…odd.

"Y-Yes! I did! You got a problem with that?! If you do, speak now!" he stuttered.

"No…I don't…But can I ask you a question?" he asked bluntly.

"Uh…sure," Usopp gulped. Intense little one, no?

He took a breath, "SUGOI! HOW THEY HELL DID YOU DO THAT?!"

Everyone's heads pulled to the table as if there was a magnet, excluding Robin, who sweatdropped, from the utter fail that they had paid so much attention to the idiotic boy.

The only person unfazed grinned widely and crossed both his legs over one another on the baby blue plastic bench. "So. How did you do it?! I wanna' know!" he lightly pounded the table excitedly.

"Well, it all started like this:" Usopp started telling his tall tale after the recovery, and the rest of the group also listened in entertainment, despite the fact knowing it was all fake.

After 2 minutes of walking, 10 minutes of arguing, 3 minutes of intense conversations, and 6 minutes of lying, 9 minutes were obviously left.

"Hey Usopp. Who are your other friends other than us?" Luffy asked.

"Ah, well, many have begged for my hand in friendship for years, BUT, I have turned down every single one except for you all, and my best friend, Chopper," Usopp semi-lied.

"Cool! Where is he?"

"Well, after break, he didn't feel so good, and went back to his dorm. He was really bummed out that the first day of school started with a headache,"

"Poor Chopper," Robin frowned.

"Yes, yes, I know,"

"Can we see him tomorrow?" Nami asked.

"Well, I guess it depends on his mood. He takes illnesses and stuff really seriously, because he plans on being a doctor for his career," Usopp explained.

"So, what classes do you guys have next?" Zoro asked.

"Language Arts then P.E." said Luffy.

"Ditto," spoke Nami.

"P.E. then Language Arts," said Robin.

"P.E. then Social Studies," Sanji said.

"Math then Social Studies," Usopp spoke proudly.

"I have the same thing as Robin," Vivi said.

Robin died from happiness. Vivi was in the same class with her for the last period. Thank God!

"Hey, Robin! You won't be alone anymore!" Luffy grinned happily at his roommate.

"Why does it matter if she's alone?" Usopp asked.

"Oh! You weren't there! Okay, so, this annoying stupid pigeon-bastard named Lucci keeps on trying to hurt Robin, and there's also some ugly people who follow him, and she thought that there was a chance that she would have to be alone for the last period, so she thinks that he might try to hurt her after school, and that she might not be able to find us in time!" he spoke really fast, saying it as if it was a list, panting afterwards.

"Oh, I see. That's what happened," Vivi nodded.

"Right. You didn't get much info either," Nami stated.

"Yeah. Well, I guess it's a good thing I'm here, then!" she said cheerily.

"Yes, yes it is," Robin nodded, smiling.

"Ah, well, I should get going," Usopp said, "My next class is upstairs,"

"Alright then. See you later, Usopp-kun," Vivi spoke, waving her hand.

"OI! USOPP! MEET US AT THE CAFETERIA AFTER SCHOOL AGAIN!" Luffy yelled as he was halfway through a crowd.

"GOT IT!" he yelled back, was fainter than the boy's.

"Why the cafeteria?" asked Sanji.

"Well, I guess that's where we'll have to meet so Robin can explain everything **in detail**," Nami spoke, at the same time nudging her friend.

"Oh, yes. I forgot about that. I suppose the cafeteria will be fine then," she said, giving a tired smile due to the memories.

"Yosh! Cafeteria it is! Got that, Zoro? Remember to follow Sanji! You might get lost again!" Luffy instructed.

"Shut up, Luffy, don't tell me what to do… And like hell I'd follow that moron," Zoro muttered.

"What was that?!"

Zoro took a breath to speak, but was interrupted by the bell.

"Alright, let's go, Luffy," Nami said, already walking away.

"I'm coming!" he said, bouncing after her.

As the two girls smiled at the scene, they started walking with Sanji to the Gym, they heard him mutter something under his breath.

He suddenly turned around, "HEY, IDIOT! THE SHITTY GYM IS THIS WAY!"

"Sanji-kun!" Vivi gasped, "Don't cuss so loudly!" she raised her voice, frowning.

"Of course, Vivi-chaaan!" he said happily despite the scolding.

"SHUT UP YA' DARTBROW!" he yelled back at the man.

"DON'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!"

"SHUT UP!" Vivi yelled, finally pissed off, and punched both of them in the stomach, but only hard enough for them to both grunt.

Robin smiled as she watched the blue haired girl scold them as they rubbed their stomachs.

Yes, this group was one of a kind.


	10. Little Boy In The Straw Hat

**Hiya, people! Wasn't planning to update today, but, a few reviews made me feel happy, so here I am~~~~**

**I wing this story, did I tell ya' people that? It's funny, because I end up adding to every beginning A/N at least 3 times while I'm typing out the actual story… Ha…**

**I AM NOT LAZY, I'M BUSY. NOR AM I PIECE OF CRAP, I AM A _LADY._**

**(I'm NOT over 18 though… XD)**

**I ONE HUNDRED PERCENT GUARANTEE YOU. If you've seen all the eps/read all the chapters, you will cry once you listen to this full song - or at least be close to...well, I cried...  
**

**AHEM! Yeah, people who get an alert or something when people post new chapters, there's a chance you might have three from me (I don't really know how those things work) cuz the link thingy was SUPPOSED to be here, but my computers a complete retard, so... Yeah, whatever. Just look up "Straw Hat Medley," on Youtube by Wolf... Some kind of combination of numbers...  
**

**No, I don't own it…Poop.**

**(*) – WHAT IS THIS FABRIC CALLED?! I know it had an x or something in it...**

**I'm gonna put Ace in this chapter… Ace is so awesome… and hot…XD. Why am I putting him in? I read on the wiki that Oda actually despised him, and regretted putting him in… **

**I was like, "Well, if that's the case, then I'm glad you REGRET! HA!" then, my brother was all, "Who the hell are you talking to?!" So, yea. **

**Ivan-chan is here, too. HEEHAW!**

* * *

"ROBIN-CHWAAAAN~ YOU LOOK BEAUTIFUL EVEN WHEN YOU'RE IN THESE SHITTY GYM CLOTHES!"

"Shut up, will ya'?!"

"WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"YOU HEARD ME!"

Robin and Vivi stared at the two boys, along with the rest of the class. For two boys who cuss and fight, they DID know how to cause a scene and be total drama queens…

She felt quite uncomfortable in the place where the whole incident had happened, but kept it to herself.

"I don't think these P.E. clothes are that bad…They're two of my top three favorite colors," Robin commented, pulling the hem of her shirt out to get a view of the whole black and white tank tops made out of an unknown soft material, with black shorts accompanying it. (*)

"Black isn't my favorite… but it's better than the combination we had last year…" Vivi said.

Robin looked at her expectantly. Vivi muttered, "Yellow and brown…"

Her lips barely curved into a polite smile. It was funny, yes, but not _hilarious._

Vivi continued muttering, "Why do we have to wait for this P.E. teacher, anyways? What kind of person _knows_ when they're going to be late and leave a note ahead of time?"

As if it was jinxed, someone burst through the door. "ALRIGHT! I'm here!" the 'somebody' yelled, raising his arms in the air for emphasis. Black, messy hair, freckles, and a well built body. But despite that, something about _him_ made Robin feel like she has seen it before.

"It's about time, Ace," Zoro muttered, walking over to him, dropping the blonde man he was strangling in the air.

The sound of him dropping, though, was surprisingly faint- he didn't weigh that much, ya' know.

"Shit, you dumbass…That was freaking low… Nevermind, ah, and hey, Ace," Sanji groaned on the floor.

"Hello, guys. Hello, class," the man grinned.

"I didn't know you were the P.E. teacher this year," Sanji said, after recovering a bit.

"Psh. As if YOU would know," Zoro muttered.

"Ha. Ha. I don't really give a crap right now, ya' moss head,"

"Alright, alright, may you two sit down in front of me? You guys, too," he instructed the class. After doing so, he introduced himself, "So, I am Mr. Portgas… I guess, but just call me Ace… It makes me feel old,"

"You **are** old," Sanji joked.

"I'm only 20!"

"It was a shitty joke, jeez,"

Ah, Ace. It was Luffy's brother.

She repeated her thoughts quietly, "So that's Ace…"

However, Vivi caught it. "Hm? You know him?"

"Well, not really. Luffy's just mentioned him to me before,"

"Ya' know my brother?" Her heart jumped. Crap, he had heard them.

She cleared her voice, "Yes,"

"How? Did he finally get a girlfriend?!"

Sanji fell to the floor in despair. "WHY must everyone say it to that idiot?! Why not me?!" He quietly continued his emo muttering in the corner.

"Ah- No… I'm just his… roommate…" she muttered, a bit embarrassed since the whole 'realization' incident.

"Yeah, if you say so,"

What the hell was that supposed to mean?! Vivi grinned at her, "Robin's got a boyfriend~"

"Hush, Vivi-chan…It's so… inappropriate of me to like someone I'm sharing a room with…"

"Robin and Vivi, Vivi and Robin…Easy enough," he said to himself, fixing his orange hat.

"Like hell it is…Well, at least for you," Zoro said.

"Okay, what the hell is wrong with you guys today?!"

"Ohhh….. I wanna be part of this SUPA' conversation!" yelled an unknown student, standing up and placing his arms together over his head, forming a star with his tattoos at a 135 degree angle.

"Got it. What's your name?" Ace asked, putting his hands on his hips.

"It's FrrrrrrrrANKY!" he spoke, rolling the 'r.'

"Simple as well. This is great! But why are you guys dressed?"

"Because… we're in P.E.?" Vivi answered hesitantly.

"Hm? Come on! You _never_ dress on the first day of school!"

Robin, Vivi and Sanji looked at Zoro, "Told you so,"

"Shut the hell up," he muttered.

"Eh? Does this mean we have to SUPA undress?"

"Well, you could do it now, or later. You choose.."

…

"Later," chorused the lazy class.

"Ah, okay then. So, tell me about yourselves!" Ace said.

"Well, I know you're a shitty martial artist…"

* * *

"Ace-kun is nice, yes?" Robin asked, walking with Vivi to Language Arts.

"You think everyone's nice…But yes, he is,"

"…Not everyone's nice…"

"Oh…yeah…Uh, so, do you know who the teacher is for this period?"

"No…I actually don't…"

They walked into their classroom.

"Hello there my little cuties! HEEHAW!"

"…What?" Vivi asked, dumbstruck.

"I said, 'Hello there my little cuties! HEEHAW!'"

"Well, okay…Who are you?" Robin asked awkwardly.

"I am the queen of this school, and the Language Arts teacher, Ivankov-sama! HEEHAW!"

Vivi clenched her teeth in surprise, her eyes wide, while Robin attempted to manage a smile, but was miserably failing.

"You may sit up in the front, my little cuties! You seem to be nice. Unlike these other people in my last class…"

Robin raised her eyebrow, "Who?"

"Ah, well, it was only one of them actually, but I forgot her name…She was being mean to this poor cutie in a straw hat…" He frowned, sad for the obvious boy.

"Ah, that must be Nami-san," Vivi sweatdropped.

"HEEHAW! You do know them! Who was the boy?"

"His name's Luffy," Robin answered.

"Great! It's nice to know the name of that little cutie," he turned around to his desk for a moment.

"What are your names?" he asked, their backs still turned.

"Vivi and Robin. I'm Vivi, and this is Robin," the blue haired girl introduced, hoping he would recognize her voice.

"Is that lady with the blue hair talking?" Apparently not.

"Yes,"

"Got it! HEEHAW!

Seeing it as a chance, the two girls looked at each other and shivered.

They then heard a loud gasp. They saw Ivankov on the floor on his knees, his hand to his chest. Then, the whole class…or whatever amount was there, gasped, and crowded around the teacher. "I…I…I think I'm having a heart attack…" he gasped again, "It burns…"

The students quickly attempted to help him. Suddenly…

"OR NOT! HEEHAW!" he stood up as fast as lightening.

The class snickered and went back to their seats, the two girls switching reactions at the lie as the bell rang.

"Okay!" He said to the class as the last remaining students entered, "I, am Mr. Emporio, but you may call me Ivan-chan, or Ivan-sama and do not cal-"

"I'm sorry I'm late," spoke an entering voice.

The ebony haired teen tensed up, despite the fact she was looking at her desk. She didn't even have to look up. It was him, and there wasn't one drop of doubt.

Yes, it was Lucci. Damn it, damn it! Why was she always in the seat next to the vacant one?! "Uh, Ivan-chan, may I switch seats with Robin?" asked Vivi.

"…Well, I guess so, since you're nice people…"

"Arigatou," she thanked.

_She_ shouldn't be the one thanking people. Robin gave Vivi a grateful smile, and she nodded happily in return. However, when they were but seated, the blue haired girl was then given a frown from the person to her left. She ignored it, though.

The class went by, nothing really going on. Robin tried as hard as she could not to, but her temptations always ended up making her sneak a peek at him every once in while. Every time, though, she regretted it. It was as if he knew when she looking, or he was plain looking at _her_ all the time, because every singe time, she was greeted with the same, cold eyes, and the creepiness of his pigeon, Hatori.

As the bell rang, the two girls got up quickly and ran for the door. This time, she made sure Vivi was in sight. However, it started to slowly become farther and farther…

"We're in a school, little one…not the White House," the abusive man spoke to her, pulling hr away for the second time.

"Are you insane?" she spat, "My friend is literally right in front of us! Have you gone mad?"

He scoffed, "Yes, I'm afraid of girl,"

Shit, he was right. Vivi, innocent little Vivi, could do truthfully nothing.

"And putting you in a gym was a mistake. It's too common of a place, yes? Well, that won't happen again, so don't worry,"

She was pretty sure he had gone mad over the last few periods. She knew he wasn't being serious, but honestly? He had the audacity to even _kid_ that after almost kissing her, sexually abusing her, and plainly scaring her shitless, to only comfort her once in _forever_ to not _worry_ about the _location?_ It wasn't even that big of a deal!

She was then proved dead wrong.

As she pulled and tugged, she felt a sense of de ja vu as he grasped tighter once more. Then suddenly, as if it was the movie of her experience, she was once again pulled from the crowd, into the bluntness of nowhere. But this time, he was still pulling her. He was still pulling her. Oh, god. He was pulling her farther from people. Farther from the chance of escaping. Farther from the fact of knowing her little birds that had been following her had not fallen and crashed.

"Robin-chan!" a voice yelled, along with the sound of rapid footsteps. Luffy? No, it was Vivi. VIVI?! What the hell did she plan on doing? Robin didn't know, but obviously, _she_ did, and trusted her completely. He was dragging her, and Vivi was running; it was common sense she would eventually get to her.

She leaned on her heels in a cliché way as he slowly dragged her, still barely walking at fast pace anymore.

As she approached them, she pulled out two…yoyos?! What was wrong with people in this school? She spun them around as she caught up, then allowing the strings of them to wrap around the man's arm. As the actually yoyo gripped the string, the blue haired girl pulled on the other end, the strings digging deeply into the man's flesh and skin.

At first, he didn't seem bothered, but as seconds passed, his fingers twitched, and he let go of the raven haired girl to only pull away the yoyos from the girl, and harshly scratched her across her face.

It stung like hell. Her skin was sensitive, even Luffy's minor hit had really hurt her. No, compared to that, it didn't sting, or even burn. It felt like her skin was being pulled pf her face, only to leave the useless feeling of numbness.

As she leaned against the hallway wall, she held her hand to her cheek, the red mark deep and dark, but even the softness of her fragile hand made her whimper in agony as the two parts of her body touched. Exactly how long was his nail?

As soon as Vivi was out of the way, Lucci turned to see Robin running as fast as her heels could carry. Yes, she didn't want to leave her friend, but he was probably going to run for her, and not put any more harm to the sensitive girl, anyways.

And, she was right. He dashed after her, at a much faster pace. Her heart flew to heaven, then to hell, then around the whole world, at least 14 times in the last 10 seconds. As soon as it reached 11 a large piece of her hair was tugged back, her head with it. It wasn't that hard, and she was surprised to see Lucci true to his word – he didn't hurt her.

After she was slowed down, he let go of her silky hair and grabbed her wrist instead, continuing on with what he was doing before.

"Where are you taking me?" she asked, panic rising in her voice.

"Hm… To a classroom that's just been built. That's why we're in the very back of the school, little one. This is the newest part of the school, despite it's on the first floor, and won't be open until next year…"

As they passed Vivi once more, she rapidly strolled towards them only to be lightly punched in the gut, hard enough to groan in pain but light enough to not have any serious damage.

Robin turned back in horror to see Vivi weakly shake her head and just slowly run off.

She left her. She just ran away. She called her name, but the girl didn't look back. Her hope practically ran out the double doors as the girl did, too.

As soon as she did, Robin was pulled through another door- a door of a classroom. Like usual, he locked the door that lay to the south side of the room and turned around the look at the frightened girl.

Why was Robin scared? He said he wasn't going to hurt her. He merely wanted to kiss her. So why was she so scared? Because he was him. He was the same man who sent her home with bruises every day. He was the man that made her cry herself to sleep. He was the man who stared at her and could easily penetrate her living soul through her eyes. He was Rob Lucci.

Time went on forever and ever as they stared at each other, each having opposite feelings- Confident; Scared. Proud; Depressed. Evil; Innocence.

As fast as her chance of almost getting away slipped away, he grabbed her and pinned her to the east wall, in front of the door vertically.

Robin's breath was short and quick, while his was long and slow. Her heart pounded like a metronome, and seemed to fill the silence of the room.

Closer.

Boom.

Closer.

Boom.

Closer…

Boom.

Closer…

BOOM!

It wasn't her heart. It possibly couldn't be. It had already stopped. It was something else. It was the door- it had fallen down. And as fast as her chance, and as fast as she was pinned, was as fast as Lucci getting punched in the face, by the little boy in the straw hat.


	11. Something He Shouldn't Have Done

**Hiiiiya. I really like how I ended that last chapter…ya know, Lucci getting punched in the face and all… GOD! I'm so pissed off. Stupid presentation's tomorrow! Did I ever tell you guys that I have stage fright to the max? WHY THE HELL AM I NOT ON WINTER BREAK ALREADY, ANYWAYS?! CHRISTMAS IS IN A FREAKING WEEK! Crappy school. -_-**

**Yeah, but, I guarantee you, I will be posting a lot more often on Winter Break, which starts… Saturday. -_- Guaranteeing a lot of things, no?**

**Do people even read this part? Cuz I would find it quite interesting myself… *COUGH, COUGH***

**Oh and... CRAPPY LADY?! Fine! I SEE HOW IT IS! No, I'm just kidding. XD**

…**Luffy's just so adorable, isn't he? I would just hug him all day if I could… So, imma make this in his point of view, instead of Robin's this time. Well, not literal first person, but you know what I mean, right? It starts to go back to Robin about a third of the way, though. Should be interesting…**

**The song's called "All Too Well" By Taylor S… Yes, I love her songs…**

**WARNING: RATED F. (Fluff…And other stuff…)**

* * *

Robin was alone at a Subway's, eating a foot long sandwich, listening to music. Her heart pounded and her mouth was still breathing out carbon dioxide. What the hell was that. What the hell was that?! What the hell was wrong with him!? Hadn't she already explained to him enough?

Her phone began to ring, automatically stopping the song.

Luffy. Decline. She had now declined him 4 times, and had deleted 6 text messages.

_And you call me up again just to break me like a promise…_

_So casually cruel in the name of being honest…_

The song then went on.

Yes, it broke her heart to decline him, knowing he was know sad, but she had to be alone for now. It was something he shouldn't have done.

* * *

Luffy stayed in the position he was in, fist still out, panting. Running takes a lot of energy out of ya'.

A dust cloud was made from the spot that Lucci had fell into, but the man quickly got back up. He was slightly bleeding from his lip, so he took his thumb, wiped it off, nad licked it off.

The younger boy cracked his knuckles by flexing out his fingers, and stared pissed off at the man, still slightly breathing heavily. He converted his eyes to the girl to his right who was also breathing slightly heavily, but from panic, not exhaustion. He smiled, determined. He threw another punch at Lucci, but the man simply leaned back, his face still serious. As soon as he had gotten the chance, he leaned forward and punched Luffy in the jaw.

The not-so-innocent boy stumbled back, panting and holding his jaw. He moved forward and scene repeated, but when Lucci punched, he ducked, and got him hard in the gut. As he feel towards the wall, the boy quickly turned around and grabbed Robin by the waist and threw her over his shoulder, dashing out of the room.

Robin looked bewildered, and immensely embarrassed from the way the boy was holding her. But, the said boy minded nothing to it and even grinned.

Yosh! He had gotten her! Now, he just had to run through the double doors, and they would be home free. However, as they barely passed a quarter of the way there, the pigeon-owner emerged from the room, and began running at a even faster pace then before.

Dammit! Luffy began to run faster, panting heavily from both of the said reasons. Robin, on the other hand, was freaking to the hell out. She was over his shoulder, so she could get a clear look when Lucci began to catch up.

She consciously began panting heavier, trying to be unnoticeable, but she failed greatly.

"Robin," he spoke, panting in between his words, "You don't need to worry," He dashed thorough the doors, and yelled as loud as he could, "HELP! I'M BEING CHASED BY A HOMOSEXUAL RAPIST!" And as if on cue, the man also burst through the doors, tackling the boy to the ground, Robin falling on her back a foot away.

The remaining people hanging out in the halls gasped, and rushed to the 'victims,' helping them up.

"YOUNG MAN!" Professor Clover roared, making everyone jump. "You, are in immense trouble! I-I mean, I don't have anything with being homosexual, bu-but, YOU, are still in trouble for chasing around these innocent students! You're lucky if you get off with a suspension!"

Lucci's eyes darkened, his mouth curved into a frown, and his eyebrows furrowed, "Did you just call me 'homosexual?' Why would I be gay, like that stupid Language Arts teacher?" he growled.

"How dare you! How disrespectful! Despite what Mr. Newgate says, you have suspension for two weeks! If I even see step a foot into my classroom, I will have you expelled! Understood?!"

Lucci, still enraged, used all the power he had not to punch the older teacher, and merely gave a small nod.

"Good. Now go to Mr. Newgate's office at once!"

The man followed the orders, and looked at the boy on the floor as he passed by him, stepping on his fingers harshly, making him clench his teeth.

As soon as he was gone, Clover asked, "Are you two well?"

Robin replied, "Yes, just fine. Arigatou,"

"Ah, you're welcome, young ones," and gave them a nod, saying, "I'll be on my way to the principal's office myself. Good day," and walked away.

Man, was that ossan nice! He was grateful good people like that were around. He would kill himself if he world was filled with people like that pigeon-bastard!

However, glad that it was over, he got up, grinning, and helped his friend up, too.

He smiled at her, closing his eyes, but then opened them up seriously, "Oi, Robin. Explain. Now,"

He saw her bite her lip nervously. "Can I tell you somewhere else? Oh! Can't I tell you in the cafeteria? Wasn't that the plan?"

Luffy shook his head nad explained, "Not anymore. Vivi's hurt, ya' know. So they all rushed to the nurse's office with her."

He could tell she seemed guilty by her facial expression, "No, it's not your fault,"

She gave him a tired smile. Apparently, he was also a good one. She looked down, and said, "Our room, then?"

He grinned happily, "Yosh! Let's go!" and dragged her off.

* * *

They both sat on Luffy's bed, across from each other, legs crossed. It was almost six, and was quite cold, so the two got some more Starbucks on the way up, the same orders as before.

She sighed, and began telling him her story. "It started the first year of high school – when I had first met Lucci. He had quickly picked me as the target, the reason was unknown. He… did things to me that me uncomfortable…things that you should only do when you're older," she said, trying to break it down for him.

"So he basically sexually harassed you?"

Well, he surprisingly didn't need it…

"Er…Yes. But he never really HURT me, though. The rest of his group did,"

Luffy looked at the girl, who was looking at the space between them on the bed, and frowned, upset, and didn't even notice he was on the verge of destroying the styrofoam cup in his hands. "You mean those other weird girls?"

"Well, I suppose, but not both of them. Only the blonde one…They would kick, elbow, punch, scratch and just plain hurt me…I bet that every day I came home with at least one bruise. I even have this one scar," she said, showing it to him. It was right above her elbow.

He furrowed his eyebrows. He had a scar, too, but that was a different story. He had gotten it by choice, and he even did it himself. She was forced into having one, and it somehow got him seriously pissed off.

He then closed his eyes and let her finish her story. "But, earlier today, you know, at break, he told me…that… he liked me, and never even told the rest of his group to hurt me…That's all," she decided to not put in the part about The Amazon Lilies – he already seemed pretty pissed off.

"Why do they hurt you?"

"…I honestly don't know…The popularity thing, maybe. You know that, surely. Everybody loves cool, everybody loves pretty, or handsome, in you men's cases," she sighed.

He opened an eye in curiosity of what she said. "What does that have to do with anything?" although he already knew the answer.

"Well, people at Enies High never thought that way of me, so-"

" '**So**' what?! Are you telling me you don't think you're good enough because of those jackasses at your old school?"

…She honestly couldn't really answer that, and she was shocked to hear it out loud. She…really _had_ let them think differently of herself, didn't she?

"W-W…Well, y-ye-"

"Well DON'T!" he almost yelled at her.

She could feel her eyes watering up, and the boy sitting in front of her could see it. Like before, the cup in his hands were close to breaking, and actually did. She jumped at the sudden release of pressure, a drop from her eye falling out and siding down her cheek, which released the rest of them as well. She soon closed her eyes and whimpered.

Luffy stared at them, one by one, ignoring the warm liquid spilling onto his lap, and calmed down.

He felt sad. He felt hurt. He felt depressed. He felt emotional. He felt like crying. Why? Because he now knew that was how the crying girl in front of him felt. He got up, threw the cup away, wiped off the coffee, and sat in front of her, closer, where it wasn't wet. Their knees were practically touching.

He placed his special hat on her head, "You shouldn't care what those people think. What those people think is absolutely wrong, and I'll tell it to everyone in the world if I have to,"

* * *

Something, though, happened after that.

"I'll tell the whole world id I have to," he had said.

She had whimpered in shame, and happiness, if it was possible.

"You don't have to worry, Robin,"

He moved his left hand from his hat on her head, to her cheek.

She held her breath, stopped crying, and opened her blue eyes, to look into dark, black ones. He raised his right hand to the other side of her face. Then, she stopped breathing, as he pulled her towards him rapidly.

When Lucci had came close to kissing her, she felt as if she could die of despair. But now, she thought she could die of happiness.

He moved his arms around her hair and neck, as her want and crave for his soft lips increased. His head slightly turned, but didn't bother her in the least. She moved her hand to his jaw, savoring…him.

She pushed everything to the back of her mind, and for once, lived in the moment. He pulled her closer and closer, everything becoming deeper…She though it would never end – but it did. It was the happiest moment of her life…

Moment…? Moments…? This moment… was wrong. Terribly wrong. And so she had to stop. So she did.

* * *

He called her again. Decline. Yes…it really did break her heart… But she had to be alone. And he had done something he shouldn't have done.


	12. Victoriously

**Hellolo. Aren't I creative when it comes to saying hello? Yes. Yes I am. So, yes, I know Luffy is a complete**_**moron**_**, and is**_**idiotic**_**, and is a **_**complete dumb ass**_**, BUT he's not stupid. Most of the time. You wouldn't believe me, but this is my 5****th****day typing this chapter, and THIS is all I got. It seems my teachers wanna be douches and decide to give me homework that takes up my whole day Right. Before. Break. -_-**

**But, it's break now, so I AM SO HAP-PY! I did practically NOTHING for the last day, so yeah, that was cool. Yeah, so did I EVER tell you that I now HATE salami? I thought it would be some fancy ham from****Italy, but it just plain sucks for me. I seriously wanted to puke. And I did.**

**So, it's been a more than a week, maybe even two, since I last updated. New record! Ha…I feel like such a jerk. I should really get off my lazy ass. But, I will NOT abandon this story. I just REALLY hate it when people do that. I mean, for example, I was reading **_**Like An Angel**_** and when I got to Chapter 9, BAM! HIATUS! I was like, damn! I mean seriously?! That just sucked. I feel like whenever an author abandons a story, they just kill all the characters with it. All of the emotions and crap they put into the story just explodes with the story itself. Geez I'm so emotional. XD**

**Sometimes, I think this is almost like a diary-sort-of-thing for me, no? I'm SO glad that The End Of The World never happened! I thought I was gonna die! NOT. Man… I hope Avril Lavigne's new album comes out soon in 2013… I CANNOT wait. I have been for 9 months! I literally check almost everyday to see if a single has came out yet. Grrr…. Okay, Longest. Chapta. Ever!**

**I'm sooo mad. I already freakin typed this damn long chapter 3 times, but my little sister keeps on DELETING it. I don't even know if that's possible! -_-**

**So, Robin's basically wearing the Skypiea Arc clothes, and Luffy's wearing the Amazon Lily one, even though it won't be mentioned. …This is basically another filler chapter, and I was feeling all odd, so there's probably more ZoRo in this one than LuRo. **

**(*) Song number two. ;p**

* * *

Her black boots clacked on the sidewalk as she reluctantly made her way to the school that was in view once more. She wanted to see what he would say, but at the same time, she didn't. She was confused to the ends of Earth. That didn't even make any sense!

She bit her lip as she stood in front of the double doors. The same nervousness that had washed over her the first time she had came face to face with the door came over again.

She pushed open the right one, and as soon as she heard the _clack!_ of her right boot, she was tackled below her knees, but not hard enough to fall.

"Robin, Robin, Robin, Robin, Robin, Robin, Robin, Robin, Robin, Robin, ROBIN!" the once again childish boy whined into her calves, the rest of the words after her name unclear.

She stared at him, feeling pity, embarrassment, and somewhat depression. "_Mumble mumble, _Gomen! _Mumble,_Robin! _Mumble mumble, _I'm stupid! _Mumble_!" But, after a while, she wasn't so sure if he was merely mumbling, or sobbing, which made her feel worse.

The ebony haired girl slowly, awkwardly, petted his head as she slightly crouched down.

Yes, he was sobbing, but was doing it out of pure guilt, and Luffyness. After a few more odd minutes he stopped, and looked up at her, his eyes still watery, his face still puffy, his pout still pouty.

She gave him a look of pity, and sighed, saying, "Ah… I.. suppose it's okay, Luffy…"

He jumped up cheerfully, and said, "Sugoi! Do you mean it, Robin?"

She nodded, a fake smile on her face. He cheered again. "Yosh! Can we go back, now? It's so…COLD!" he suddenly realized and started waddling towards the direction of their dorm.

She sighed again as she stared at him. No. it wasn't okay. She had just said it prevent…complication. Even though it looked like it WAS just a spur of the moment sort of thing, it would take a while for the girl to look at her innocent little roommate the same way again.

Despite that, she couldn't help but give a small smile at the fact that in a few minutes, he had only managed to waddle a few inches. And so, she helped him out, and they headed to their dorm.

* * *

"Oi! Oi! Oi! Oi! OIIIII! Robin? Oi!" Luffy pouted. He was trying to wake Robin up, his head peaking from the side of her mattress. It was a while until they were supposed to wake up, but Luffy was an early-bird, especially when he was hungry.

"Oi! Oi! OIIIIII! Robin." No response. He sighed in failure, and decided to get a head start. He didn't want to be late again…But more importantly, he didn't want to upset Robin again. So, he went into the shower room, whistling his Baka Song, and turned on the water.

About a few minutes later, Robin woke up, slamming her hand on the screen of her phone, silencing the shriek of the annoying alarm. She rubbed her eyes, and cautiously sat up, not wanting to hit her head. AGAIN. As she climbed down the ladder top wake up Luffy, she was surprised to see the certain boy not there. Then, she heard the water running. Seems as though he got a head start.

Robin decided to get a head start of her own, and started flipping pancakes. She finished making them as the water turned off, and by the time he walked out, she had just finished eating.

"Sugoi! Pancakes! I'm STARVING!" he exclaimed, and started to dig in. Now, she was glad she had managed to make fourteen for him.

As he moved on to his second, she walked into the bathroom herself, and water was turned on for the second time that day.

As he heard the water running, he moved on to his third, and tried not to squirt the whole bottle of syrup down his mouth. Then, he would get dirty. Robin took a longer shower, Luffy noticed, because by the time he was done eating, she had barely turned off the water. Next, he got a marvelous Luffy-Idea.

As Robin stepped out, she got dressed in something simpler. A yellow tank top with white, fluffy hems, and purple leggings that went about three-fourths of her thigh, along with some matching purple high heels.

She walked out to see Luffy, on his X-Box once again. "Luffy," she called, "Go brush your teeth,"

"Oh, crap!" he realized, and dashed to the bathroom. As he brushed his teeth to some sort of hygiene song, she walked over and turned off the game console, and looked at the clock. 7:27. Perfect. They had a little bit under twenty minutes.

As she picked up her shoulder bag, the boy walked out of the bathroom, and yelled, "Robin! Why did you turn it off!?" though it ended up more of a whine, "I was still playing that! I bet you didn't even save!"

"…I'm sorry, Luffy,"

"Ehhh…. It's okay! Just let me play half an hour tonight!"

She smiled, "Fair enough."

"Yosh! Let's go!" he exclaimed, putting on his hat on and stomping slowly through the doorway.

"Mmm…Luffy-kun? I think you're forgetting something,"

"Oh, crap!"

* * *

As the sounds of the gears within erupted the elevator with sound, the two friends stood in silence.

"…Ah, Luffy?"

"Hm?"

"Do you think that we could… _not_ talk about…**that** with the others?"

He stared at her for a while. Finally, he spoke up, "Okay!" and gave a thumbs up. But, despite that, she knew that that wasn't what he was really thinking. They continued down to the lobby in silence once more.

* * *

The two of them walked out of the elevator, but instead of going right to Shanks' room, Robin immediately turned left, and quickly.

"Oi! Robin!" Luffy asked, following her, "Where are we going?"

"To Shanks' room, of course," she spoke in a semi-calm, semi-panicked voice, Luffy noticed.

"But isn't it the other way?" he asked.

"We're just taking a different route,"

"…Okay, then...But why?"

"…No reason…Don't worry about it, okay?" she said, still ahead of him. She was looking at her surroundings rapidly, he noticed again. It was either she looking for something, or avoiding it. He frowned, but put no mind to it soon enough.

The two friends soon arrived, and Robin quickly headed to seat next to Zoro, seeing Lucci talking to Kalifa and…them. Luffy, on the other hand, looked around the room for Shanks, who obviously wasn't even there.

As he looked behind his desk, he was suddenly pushed down, he soon lost his balance, and fell to the ground. **(*)**

"EH?! Who did that?" he asked, confused, "Oi! You Pigeon-Bastard!"

Lucci though, said nothing, and walked away to his seat. As Shanks came in, the bell rang, and all of the students dispersed to their seats save three unfamiliar girls.

"Hey Luffy," Sanji greeted, but still didn't seem to care.

"Shut up, Sanji," he pouted childishly.

"What the hell's **your** problem?"

"Damn Pigeon Bastard pushed me down," he mumbled, still in a childish tone.

"You mean that pervert who was messing with Robin-chan and Vivi-chan?"

Luffy nodded. "I'll kick his ass!"

"Psh. As if YOU could kick anyone's ass!" Zoro cut in.

"Do ya' know what. Marimo? I don't even know why I'm talking to like you,"

"Maybe…But I do,"

"GO TO HELL!"

"MAKE ME!"

"Alright, alright, boys, calm down," Shanks said, and then noticed the girls. "Okaay…Who the hell are you?"

"WOW! THEY'RE GORGEOUS!" Sanji yelled in the back of the room.

The girls ignored it, "…You're Shanks, correct? We are the new students,"

"…I have no idea what you're talking about,"

"I'm not surprised; a teacher as low as you,"

"HEY! DON'T INSULT SHANKS!" Luffy growled.

The teacher raised his hand, "Ah, it's alright, Luffy. Don't get upset. It IS my fault for not knowing about something like this sooner. I'll just go to Mr. Newgate's office and sort this thing out…Zoro, you're in charge,"

"WHY THE HELL DOES HE GET TO BE IN CHARGE?" Sanji yelled, while Zoro laughed to the ends of the world.

"You're right!...Luffy! You're in charge!"

Sanji fell over, and Zoro continued to laugh. "Why does the world hate me so?" Sanji whined.

"Yosh! I'm in charge!" the boy celebrated.

"You morons really enjoy forgetting me, don't you?"

"Of course not, Nami-swan!" Sanji flirted while Zoro said, "Yup,"

As the four of them caused their havoc, the rest of the class created their own. But, there was one person who didn't talk. Who didn't smile. Who didn't move. Robin just stared. She stared at _them. _

Once again, they had followed her. What was their problem, really? What kind of person in this world is so evil as to stoop so low as to follow their victim? She wanted to leave. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to go home. But one thing kept her from doing all of that. Her friends. The people who finally, finally, accepted her! She couldn't just leave them! She couldn't just leave **him**.

And so, she resisted all urges, and just stared at the beautiful face that caused half of her misery. Until she stared back. She quickly pulled her eyes off of her and instantly faced Zoro, who looked at her like she was crazy.

"What are you staring at, woman?"

"Nothing. So, do you like our group of friends?"

"I hate that witch and that ero-cook," he answered simply, "I hope they die a terrible, terrible, death one day,"

Robin shivered at the cold, gothic words that came from his mouth. And she thought she was dark. She bit her lip, "Well, I'm glad you like me," she sputtered, embarrassed at how odd it sounded.

However, he paid no mind, "I never said I liked you,"

"But you never said you hated me," she said back, smiling victoriously.

He smirked at her, "You're okay, woman."


	13. Love-Sick

**My GOSH. I just realized that I probably talk non stop for these beginning-thingies! Notice I didn't say the G-Word? I've said his name in vain too many times. I'm gonna cut it short this time, so I don't spend, like, a fifth of typing on this part. **

**A/N : I'm making Marigold and Sandersonia pretty. Their looks just immensely annoy me. Also, Chopper's still gonna be a talking reindeer. Too hard to even make the readers have the same picture as I am if he's gonna be a very short boy or something. ;p I made Vivi Egyptian, I giess, since her name was played off of an Egyptian queen so, ya know, why not? Sue me! All of their races were found on the wiki. Okay! ONE MORE THING. It occurs to me I COMPLETELY forgot the subject of math, so I'm gonna put it after history but before their lunch…Just sayin.**

Robin actually liked talking with Zoro. Odd, no? She thought he was a secluded, cold, jerk, but honestly, he was a pretty nice guy. Well, except for the whole, 'I-Hope-That-Witch-And-Ero-Cook-Die-Some-Horrible-Death-Somday,' thing.

So, with all that in mind, she felt even more dreadful once she was pulled away from the conversation by none other than the OTHER devil in her life, Lucci. "Good morning, Nico Robin," he greeted, sitting backwards in his chair so he could face her.

It actually sounded close to normal. The only thing keeping it from being so was the fact that it was him. "What do you want?" she sighed. She felt more angry and confused towards him than scared anymore. Obviously, it was because of the fact that he personally told her that he wouldn't hurt her, so, yes, she wasn't scared.

"Do you not like seeing me, Nico Robin?"

"Of course not, idiot," Zoro frowned at him.

"I said I wouldn't hurt you," Lucci looked at her, "I never said I wouldn't to _him_," She confirmed that he considered it a warning.

"I don't need your warnings," he spoke. Apparently, it was obvious.

"You shouldn't underestimate me,"

"Zoro," Luffy cut in, who had suddenly appeared on the other side of Robin. "Switch seats with me,"

Zoro frowned, but did as told.

Lucci sighed, "It's no fun talking with you, kid," and so he turned back around. Luffy pouted.

"I'm not switching again, so you better not ask," Zoro suddenly said.

"Yosh! It's okay Zoro, I won't!" he exclaimed, suddenly back to his old self, "Oi! Sanji! Guess what!? I'm sitting next to you, now!"

"YOU WERE ALWAYS SITTING NEXT TO ME, MORON!"

BAM! "Ehhh!" he whined.

Robin smiled, but felt lonely again. However, both her nightmares and wishes came true as the 'New Girl' came up to her.

Tall as Robin was, which was about a bit more than six feet, the girl towered over her, and pretty much almost everyone.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" she asked, peering her eyes at the frozen girl.

Sanji started swooning once more, which made the rest of the friends look to where he was.

"Hancock," Robin mumbled.

"Oi! You! You're the one who insulted Shanks!" Luffy furrowed his eyebrows.

"Be quiet. I have no intentions to talking to someone like you,"

"Hey!" Luffy whined.

"I said shut up!"

"You shut up!" he pouted.

Hancock gasped, and put her hand to her forehead, leaning back, "Oh! How could you say such a thing to me?"

"'Cause you're a jerk. It's not that hard," Luffy said, confused.

She gasped again, but then stood up straight once more. "Maybe…But I know you'll forgive me,"

"Why would I do that?"

"Because I'm beautiful!" she exclaimed, flipping her long, dark, hair.

Zoro scoffed, Sanji swooned, Robin paid no mind, Nami scrunched up her nose in disgust, and Luffy...Luffy was confused.

"What do you mean?"

She looked at him as though he was crazy. "What do you mean, 'What do you mean,'?!" she growled, starting to get angry.

"I mean why would I forgive you?" he asked, titling his head.

"Because I'm beautiful!"

"That's what I don't get!"

"It's exactly as it sounds! You'll forgive me because I'm beautiful and you don't want my feeling to be hurt!" she growled again.

Luffy blinked, "Ah, whatever, you're annoying, Hammock!" he grinned at her.

She gasped again, but the other two girls came to her aid. "Don't worry about what he says!" the one with green hair said. "Yes! He was lying!" the orange haired one reassured.

"No I wasn't!" Luffy blinked.

"SHUT UP!" they shrieked at him, and kicked him in the head. However, he didn't care, for the fact Zoro and Sanji did that to him everyday.

Once recovered, Hancock frowned at him, "I don't care what you say. Men are foolish creatures who will fall for the stupidest things!"

"Like your 'beauty,' for example?" Zoro smirked.

She gasped again, but recovered quickly, "That doesn't count…My beauty is even undeniable to those who are female!"

She actually had a point. Robin even somewhat agreed – Hancock was indeed beautiful. She was perfect when it came to looks. However, her attitude and everything else was a complete train-wreck.

"Anyways…That moron of a teacher will be back soon, I assume," she said, while Zoro held Luffy back, "So I have one thing to say you, nerd," she continued, staring at Robin. Everyone in the small group shut their mouths. Sanji stopped swooning, and even Lucci turned his head to hear what she had to say. "It was foolish, thinking you could merely run away,"

With those words spoken, the three of them started to walk back to the front of the room when Hancock said, "What are you looking at?"

Luffy frowned, "You piss me off,"

Hancock gasped again, and the two girls carried her off.

"Robin? Who the hell were they?" Nami asked, annoyed.

"They…are half of the reasons I left…" she mumbled.

"You mean those guys tormented you, too?"

She nodded, while the others listened silently.

"They…are called the 'Amazon Lilies,'" Robin explained. "That was the leader, Boa Hancock, and her sisters, Boa Marigold and Boa Sandersonia…Porche is also one of them…" she trailed off, suddenly depressed.

"Why didn't you tell me last night?" Luffy asked her slightly frowning.

"….It's wasn't that big of a dea-"

"You were _crying,_ Robin!" he harshly spoke back.

… "What is going on _here_?" Lucci smirked, as he was now turned back around.

"Nothing. Get lost." Sanji said.

"It certainly doesn't seem that way…Did he make you cry, little Robin?"

"No. You did," Zoro said for her. "I wasn't even there and I can tell,"

"Why would I make you cry?"

"Are you retarded?" Nami insulted him.

"No, but thank you for asking…"

"I'll kick your ass, you egotistic-douchebag," Sanji said sternly.

"Hmm, yes, I'd like to see you try. Well, I should be going, now. This useless period's about to end," he spoke, and got up as soon as the bell rang.

"Moron," Nami muttered.

"Well, at least he's not gonna try to…you know what I mean," Zoro commented.

Luffy was silent, Robin noticed. "Shanks hasn't even came back yet," he suddenly muttered, yet he seemed…Un-Luffylike.

He picked up his backpack, "Let's go, Robin!" he exclaimed, yet it was a tone down.

She nodded, and called for Nami to come with them.

As they walked to Hiriluk's class, both girls could tell Luffy was trying to seem happy and jumpy and…Luffy, but it was obvious he was failing. He was trying to give a little jump with every step he took, he tried to make his eyes wide and curious like they usually were, and he even tried to cutely stick his tongue out. Yet, everything just seemed exactly the opposite. He seemed to be offbeat, and seemed to _fall_ with every step, his eyes got unnaturally _strained_, and he seemed to lack the effort of keeping his tongue out for even a few seconds. He was so bummed, he couldn't even do his **habits** correctly.

The question was, why? About halfway there, they seemed to notice that he stopped trying completely, and he looked down to the floor. His eyelids were almost closed, his back was slumped, and he was frowning.

They gave each other sad looks. Luffy was contagious – happy or sad. As they walked into the classroom, though he immediately brightened up – and _actually_ brightened up – and said, "Good morning, Ossan!"

The teacher laughed, "Good morning, young one!"

Nami muttered, "Shit," as she remembered she had to sit next to both Porche _and_ Kalifa when they both turned to head to their seats. She sighed and parted ways to the left of the classroom, while Luffy and Robin headed left.

Robin bit her lip as she saw Lucci was already there. Luffy looked at her without turning his head and spoke for the first time in a while, "Robin, switch seats with me,"

She did the same to him as they got closer, "Are you sure, Luffy?"

"Duh. I'll just make the other seat warm," he grinned at her.

She gave a small laugh as they sat down. "Fufufufufu,"

Luffy looked at her, "That's a weird laugh!" he started laughing himself.

"How immature," Lucci spoke, making both of them look at him.

"So you're calling Robin immature?"

"No, I was calling you,"

"But we were both laughing!"

"Maybe, but I called _you_ immature,"

Luffy frowned and opened his mouth to say something, but what came out was, "Oi! Mugiwara! Aren't you the brother of that SUPPERRR P.E. teacher?"

Luffy gave him a look as if he was crazy, "EHHHH!? HOW AM I THAT OLD SMOKEY'S BROTHER?!"

"He said he was only twenty! That liar!" a boy who Robin recognized as, 'FrrrrRRANKY!' said.

"ARE YOU KIDDING ME!? HE HAS WHITE FREAKING HAIR!"

Robin enjoyed the fact that Lucci was getting ignored, and that two 'men' were yelling at each other over his shoulders. But yes, Robin was confused. She thought about it, and after a few seconds, she realized, "Ah, Luffy. I think there are two P.E. teachers…Your's might be…'Smokey,' but ours was your brother, Ace," Robin explained to both of them, but was talking to Luffy.

"Oh, okay…EH?! That's not fair! How come YOU GUYS get Ace?"

"Maybe they thought that he would SUPER baby you!"

"EHH!? Are you insane?! Ace likes kicking my ass for FUN!"

"Well then MAYBE they thought that he would SUPER fail you for no reason!"

"EHH?! Are you insane?! Ace isn't THAT mean!"

"Well then MAYBE-"

"Will you two morons shut up!? I'm across the damn room and I can still hear you!" Nami shrieked at them.

"What a SUPER mean lady!"

"I know right! Hey! You! You're part of my group, now! What's your name?"

"It's FRANKY!"

"Alright, Franky! Shishishishi!"

He started to laugh again when Franky took a seat across from them "Baka, baka! Why didn't you tell me that you sit right next to us?!" He burst into his famous giggle fits.

"Just because I'm part of your 'group,' doesn't me I can't kick your ass, Mugiwara,"

"Ah, gomen, gomen," he grinned. Then he looked back at Lucci and rubbed in his face, "I wasn't talking to you!"

"Who said I though that you were?"

"No one! Duh. Man, Nami's right, you are retarded!"

Lucci scoffed, "Yes, yes, I'M the retarded one here,"

"Yes. You are," Luffy took it literally.

Lucci leaned back to look at Robin, "Why, Nico Robin, do you accompany these loud, fools instead of me?"

"I think you just answered your own SUPER question! No. Take that back! It wasn't SUPER!" Franky answered for her.

Luffy laughed again as the bell rang and the last of the students came in.

Robin smiled, and tried not to look towards Lucci's direction for the period. However, she oddly heard whimpers from Luffy from time to time, and once, even a grunt. She gave him a look of concern about halfway through the period, but he ignored it. Hiriluk was talking practically the whole period, but the good news was they wrote down no notes.

After the bell rang, Robin packed up her books and waited for Luffy, not wanting to be taken by Lucci again. He seemed slower than Robin thought, though. She nudged him politely to tell him to hurry, so he responded to it, and did so.

"Where's that pigeon-pervert?" Luffy mumbled to himself as they walked out of the classroom, looking around.

They started to walk towards the cafeteria when they heard, "Oi! Luffy! Woman! We're all at the back of the school!"

They turned around and Luffy laughed, "HI ZORO!" The said boy face-palmed. He then gave a motion to follow him, so they walked their way through the crowds, and were eventually greeted with nature.

"I've never been to this part of the school before," Robin commented.

"Yeah, we didn't even really plan on going here, but that dartbrow's whole martial arts group have some sort of meeting here with Ace, so…" Zoro explained.

"Ace!? Where are they!?" Luffy asked, hyped up.

"Under that tree," Zoro pointed behind him with his thumb.

"Sugoi! Be right back!" Luffy ran off.

Robin watched him run away, and then said to Zoro, "So do you anything?"

He raised his eyebrow as he started to lead her towards the rest of the group, "What do you mean?"

"Do you do any after-school activities? For example, Sanji does martial arts, and I've heard Usopp-kun say he's joined the archery club,"

"Hm…I'd be interested in fencing…if it wasn't so gay,"

"How so?"

"Well, to me, it's seems as though it's a childish version of using swords," he admitted.

"Well do you expect this school to give teenagers actual swords? You may seem responsible, but I honestly wouldn't want Luffy running around with that sort of a weapon," Robin smiled.

Zoro sighed, "Yeah, I guess so," as they soon arrived to where the rest of the group was, which was under another tree close by.

Nami said, "Robin! I've waiting for you forever! What was that all about?"

"I'm sorry, Nami-chan. It's just hard to walk wherever without being afraid of Lucci pulling something again," Robin frowned.

"Well yeah, I guess," Nami admitted.

"Hey! Robin! Guess what! I'd like you to meet Chopper! He even said that he recognized you in his homeroom!" Usopp exclaimed.

"Oh really? Well where is he?" Robin asked as her eyes scanned the group of friends.

"I-I'm down here!" he exclaimed.

She looked down and saw…a reindeer?

"Oh," she smiled and crouched down, "Nice to meet you,"

"Nice to meet you too," he stuttered.

"You're cute. I like you,"

"STOP IT! CALLING ME CUTE ISN'T GOING TO MAKE ME HAPPY YOU…BASTARD!"

Robin and everyone else excluding Usopp sweatdropped. He then explained, "He does that when he's complimented or happy,"

"I'M NOT HAPPY YA' BASTARD!"

"He seems happy to me," Zoro mumbled to Vivi, while she smiled.

As the crew calmed down, about seven minutes until they had to go back to class, they heard, "WILL YA' STOP INTERRUPTING EVERY DAMN THING HE SAYS YA' SHITTY PIECE OF CRAP?!"

"I swear, shitty is favorite word," Nami muttered, while Zoro got up and sighed, "Must be Luffy again,"

As Zoro was about to leave, Chopper asked, "Who's Luffy?"

"The 'Captain' of our group, I guess." Zoro told him.

"Can I come with you to meet him?"

"Yeah, just don't slow me down,"

When the two were gone, Nami immediately said, "So. WHY THE HELL IS THERE A TALKING DEER IN OUR SO CALLED GROUP?!"

"Hey, hey! Don't blame me! Y OU'RE the ones who said he wanted to meet him!"

"No, moron!" she whacked his head, "What I mean is HOW!"

"Oh. How?" Nami nodded and the rest of them listened to him carefully. "How the hell should I know?"

They fell down for the second time since they had met him.

"Woah! SUPER ladies man over here!" said a voice behind them.

Robin smiled, "Hello, Franky," while Nami mumbled, "Great. Another moron,"

Usopp stuttered, "W-What the hell are you?!" while Vivi made her famous shocked face.

"I'm a SUPER cyborg! Well, not really. But that _would_ be SUPER!"

"I thought those things only existed in movies!" Usopp yelled at him, not convinced.

"I told you I'm not one! My nose's just made of metal because of this car accident I was involved in,"

"I'm sorry," Vivi said, "What happened to it?"

"Got cut straight off,"

Vivi, Nami, and Usopp shuddered as Robin sweatdropped.

"Yosh! We're back!" Luffy grinned as the four came back. He made a surprised sound, "Franky!" he turned to the rest of them, "Hey guys! This is Franky!"

"You just said that ya moron!" Sanji yelled at him, and took out a cigarette.

"You're gonna caught, Sanji," Ace spoke as he walked up to the rest of them.

"By who? You gonna tell?"

"Good point," he grinned.

"Woah, woah, woah. Who the hell are you!?" Nami asked him sternly.

"Nami!" Luffy whined, "Don't be so mean! This is my nii-chan!"

"YOU have a brother!?" she screamed, then mumbled to herself, "Shit,"

"Ah, don't worry Nami-chan," Vivi reassured, "Ace is nothing like Luffy,"

"…You promise?"

"Yes," Vivi laughed.

"Wait, wait…Vivi?" Ace asked, which he got a nod to, then said, "…Rrrrrr…Robin! Correct?" Another nod.

Then, Franky spoke up, "What about me?!"

Ace laughed, "As if I could forget you!" Franky laughed. "It's Frank!"

They fell for the second time that day, excluding Luffy and Robin, who laughed and sweatdropped.

"You said he was nothing like him," Nami mumbled on the floor.

"Well I see the resemblance now," Vivi muttered.

Robin giggled, "Well, they're brothers. You can't really expect them to NOT have at least one single similar gene in their bodies,"

"Actually, that's not completely accurate," Ace interrupted. "I'm actually his stepbrother,"

"Eh?!" Zoro and Sanji gasped, "IN OUR TEN YEARS OF KNOWING YOU, LUFFY, YOU NEVER TOLD US HE WAS YOUR STEPBROTHER?!"

"That's a funny story! Because I actually met you guys only three months after Ace was adopted!" he giggled, which earned him a punch and kick in the head.

Chopper lightly tapped on the martial arts teacher's knee, "I'm sorry if it's personal, but how did you get adopted?" The three girls of the group smiled at the adorableness of it.

"Nah, it's okay. Well ya' see, my dad was one of the most wanted criminals from where I was from, so one day, he got executed. Then the damn police looked for mother, but they couldn't find a trace. However. They got hold of the fact that she was pregnant with me, and looked everywhere o kill both of us, because, ya' know, they thought I would be trouble if I grew up too, ya' know. So my mother refused to give birth to me until they were off her trail, and she held me in for…twenty months,"

"No way," most of them gasped.

"I know right! Pretty awesome for a mom. Anyways, when she finally gave birth to me, she died,"

"Aww," Nami, Vivi, and…Sanji? Sighed sadly.

"And when I turned ten, I was adopted by Luffy's grandfather, who technically adopted Luffy as well, and we moved to America. End of story."

"Oh…" Chopper looked down at the sad story, "But where were you originally from?"

"Brazil," Luffy smiled.

"Your Brazilian?" Nami asked.

"Yup! What about you!?"

"Swedish,"

"What about you guys?!" he asked Zoro and Sanji excitedly.

"Japanese," Zoro said.

With a puff of smoke, "French,"

"You're French?" Chopper asked excitedly, "I'm Canadian!"

"I am SUPER from here!" Franky exclaimed.

"I! Am from the great continent of Africa!" Usopp stated proudly.

"Egyptian," Vivi smiled.

"Sugoi! That's cool, Vivi! Are you a queen or something?!"

She giggled, "Sadly, no,"

"That's okay! What about you, Robin?"

"Russian,"

Usopp, Luffy, and Chopper looked at each other like the idiots they were and said, "RUSSIAN SPY!"

"She's not a spy, morons!" Nami attempted to yell, but just ended up smiling.

Soon enough, all of them were laughing, save Sanji and Zoro, who merely smiled. Unfortunately, though, the bell ruined their fun, and so they all headed to their own classes.

"What class do you have next, Zoro?" Chopper asked.

"Science with Luffy, Vivi, Robin, that witch, and that ero-cook,"

"With Mrs. Otohime?!" Usopp asked.

Zoro nodded.

"Wow, you would've thought we would noticed that we SUPER have it, too!" Franky said.

… "That's… just freaky," Zoro smirked.

"I know right!" Luffy said, "That teacher IS freaky! She threw a book at me yesterday!"

"Oh, yeah," Usopp scratched his head despite the fact that that wasn't what they were originally talking about.

As they arrived in the classroom, they saw that Usopp, Chopper, and Franky sat second to the back row, which was probably why they hadn't noticed them.

"Man, I wish we get a substitute today!" Luffy wished his unreasonable wish.

"I HEARD THAT!"

WHACK!

"Wow, Luffy. You just got booked. Literally," Sanji chuckled.

"Do I smell smoke?" Otohime asked.

"…No,"

WHACK!

"Why?" Sanji whined on the floor as well while Zoro was laughing his ass off.

The period went by almost as fast as Chemistry, but they did have to take notes this time, though. Yet, it was still good for the rest of them. History, though, went by faster than Robin would've liked, but it was still fun learning about the past. Trigonometry though, made Robin, Nami, and Chopper confused. Not the Trigonometry part though. Not the Luffy part, though. But the Trigonometry-Luffy part, to be exact. I mean, how? How was this idiot one step behind the college course of math?

"Remember, Robin? Oji-chan is vice-principal!" is what he had said. Well, that figures.

The class itself was quite easy, actually. The only flaw was the fact that they had to play rock-paper-scissors to see who had to help Luffy this time. In the end, they had each helped him 12 times by the end of the period. Yes, it was a hell of a time.

When the bell rang, the three friends made a run for lunch. This time. THIS TIME they definitely deserved it.

They decided that they actually very much liked their spot under the tree, and went to sit there again after they got all their food, but they stopped in their tracks when they saw Hancock and her friends, along with two others they must have befriended here. Bonney and Perona were their names if Franky recalled correctly.

Sadly, before they were about to turn and find another tree, Hancock had already seen them, and walked up to them.

"Hello again, Robin, creature," she scoffed at Luffy.

"Get out of here," Nami frowned at her.

"Yes, I'll let someone who looks like…that, tell me what to do,"

"You may be pretty, but you sure are a…a…I can't say it," Sanji looked down sadly.

"Come on, dartbrow! Say it!" Zoro frowned at the depressed man.

"As if I don't want to! But I can't! The geezer told me to never insult or hit a woman. I haven't yet and I never will,"

Zoro sighed but grinned when he saw Hancock smile victoriously, "Sadly, I don't care for manners towards 'women,' so get out of here, you pretty little bitch,"

Luffy laughed his little, "Shishishi!" when Hancock gasped again.

"Robin. Robin, Robin, Robin," she frowned when she recovered. "I find it utterly sad that you now rely on the protection of these lowly creatures…Women are much more…higher than these things…Do you know what? I actually find you quite pretty. I mean, not as pretty as me, heck, I'm beautiful! But pretty enough,"

"Pretty **enough**?" Chopper asked, confused.

"Yes. Pretty enough…to be in my group. So?"

"…What the hell is wrong with you?! You're almost as retarded as that Pigeon-Bastard!" Luffy grinned at her daringly.

She gasped again, "What is with you? Do you not find me beautiful? Or even unusually pretty?"

"No, it's not that. You're just a complete jerk, that's all. But you _are_ pretty," Luffy grinned idiotically while Nami scolded him for complimenting her like that.

Why? Why? Why was he different than most hideous men out there? He called her stupid, he called her a jerk, she even pissed him off, but he still called her pretty? Was it possible she was always pretty in his eyes? She stared at the group, but more importantly, at Luffy. Until he noticed and looked back at her, that is. As soon as that moment happened, though, she gasped once more, and her sisters caught her, "My sisters…I do not feel very well," she said quiet enough for only them to hear.

"What could it possibly be? You've never gotten sick, before!" Sandersonia whispered.

"Is it possible that you're…" Marigold started as she watched the group walk away from them, Luffy in the back of the group, "Love-Sick?"


	14. After All

**Hayoh. So, this is the possible second to last chapter until my winter break is over which is, Monday. I'm glad, actually. I guess doing this crap that my teachers give me makes everything else seem so heavenly. XD. I just hope my Science teacher decided it's been too long to continue doing any presentations. -_-. I mean, honestly! I've been freaking out for a damn month, and we somehow managed to NOT do it yet. Like NO ONE has gone. We had even planned it all out before Thanksgiving. Break. I felt like I was in a sitcom. ;p**

**So, what other pairings should be in this? I will consider everything EXCEPT ZoNa. I'm sorry, but I just REALLY hate that pairing. Nami's just so mean to Zoro. ****. I will honestly take yaoi before those two. I was thinking ZoVi (Is that even a mash up name thing?) and NaSa. BUT I plan on making Perona eventually quit Hancock's group, and I think Zorona's cute, too. But whatever. I'll just do what you guys want. It's not like it's the main pairing, ya' know?**

**Yes, I know I just updated a few hours ago, but this chapter isn't THAT long, and the idea of it just got me excited, and DO YOU WANT ME TO POST CHAPTERS OR NOT?! Jk. ;p. **

Robin was enjoying her time with her friends, her legs swinging off the new bench which was also under a tree that wasn't too far from the old one. She sat on the table in an unladylike manner, but made up for it by crossing her legs. The three, which Nami had nicknamed the idiot trio, ran around another bench a few meters away, and consisted of Luffy, Chopper, and Usopp.

School had ended quite well, the last two periods were enjoyable, and neither Lucci or Hancock even talked to them. Now, obviously, it was afterschool, and like many other people, they decided to spend the rest of the daytime outside under their new tree. Like, literally, it was now THEIR tree.

Luffy, being Luffy, went to his 'oji-chan' by himself, and demanded that he make a special sign that stated that the large tree and few benches around it belonged to him and his friends. What he got was two punches in the face and a black Sharpie. Despite that, though, Usopp did a good job drawing a picture of a straw hat that looked almost a hundred percent accurate on the middle bench, and had Luffy sign his name under it. He wouldn't get in trouble; his name was a 'Monkey D.' or in most teachers' case, the name that could fire their asses.

Besides all that, Zoro and Vivi were getting along quite well, seeing the fact that they were the only mature, calm, ones besides Robin. Nami, Sanji, and Franky were talking to each other, as it seemed the three honestly didn't know much about the other two.

Robin…was watching Luffy. She was actually surprised no one had really noticed her or called her out on it. Well, Zoro would smirk at her every couple of minutes, but it could be for anything! Yeah, right. Just keep telling that to yourself, Robin.

She smiled at their childish conversations, like accusing cheating or saying headsies didn't count. Yes, they got odd looks from people, but she didn't really care. As long as they weren't staring at HER, she was fine.

She added the scene to her list of perfections. This was one of those times when everything just seemed perfect, and she could just enjoy herself. When the setting was perfect, when the people were perfect, and when the activity was perfect. Surrounded by trees with the sunlight hitting at a perfect angle, her friends smiling and laughing around her, and watching Luffy be Luffy. That didn't sound creepy did it?

This was the first time she considered a scene in the daylight. Usually, reading a book when it was cold with a blanket and a cappuccino, or sometimes drawing or sketching a few things in the park seemed perfect. But, she never realized how perfect daytime was. How happy daytime was. Probably because of Lucci and Hancock. **Probably **because she would just wish nighttime would came everyday so she wouldn't have to see their faces. Sure, she still saw those faces, but she wasn't alone.

Speaking of demons, she frowned when she saw Hancock walk up to her. Oddly enough, she was alone, and she looked… nervous, and sick. A fever, perhaps.

Apparently, she wasn't the only one that noticed. All the chatting behind her hushed down, and she didn't even have to look to see if the three had stopped playing.

She stopped in front of Robin, and clasped her hands softly. She gave a small smile, and asked in a soft voice, "May I talk to you? Alone?"

Robin almost gave a face that Zoro would've given at that moment. She was pretty sure he was probably doing it right now.

"Psh. Don't believe her," Nami scoffed, "I mean come on! She's _shaking._ I wouldn't be surprised if this was part of a plan and she can't stand but be on the verge of breaking from such a stupid character!"

Yes, she almost agreed with Nami. Almost. What had won her over was when she saw Hancock's reaction. She bit her lip and furrowed her eyebrows sadly. She couldn't look THIS vulnerable – even if she was acting. _Especially_ if she was acting.

She nodded, and a loud, "EHHH?!" erupted form the whole table, followed by all of them stating and reasons at the same time of why she should've said no.

"I MEAN COME. ON." Zoro's voice stood out from the crowd.

"Robin!" Luffy called, but when she looked at him, he oddly…nodded, and gave her a smile? He must trust her… She couldn't help but smile back at the boy, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hancock bite her lip even harder.

"S-Shall we go?" Robin asked nervously. She said yes to the girl. That didn't mean they were friends. Hancock had still done things to her that would most likely scar her forever.

She was still Hancock.

Hancock nodded, and didn't seem so shy, but more determined. Robin just hoped she wouldn't want to cry by the end of it.

She followed Hancock across the backyard of the school, and she led her to a small gap between the school and a row of bushes, about two meters wide, and only about fifteen feet long until a gate separated it from the front yard.

When they got there, Hancock turned around and looked to the ground, "I need…your advice," she sighed.

Robin's bottom lip opened a bit in surprise. She had called her 'pretty enough,' two periods ago, and now, she was asking for ADVICE? Advice on what? Looking average? No, Robin didn't say that to mock herself. She did it to mock Hancock, F.Y.I.

"On what?" Robin blurted out uncharacteristically. It wasn't her fault, though! It's not like Hancock goes up to her victims and asks for their advice everyday!

"On…On Luffy!" she smiled to herself once she said his name.

Robin stared at the fence beyond the two of them. On Luffy? She hoped that this wasn't what she thought she was asking for. Just to make sure, she asked, "What about him?"

"I…What should I do? I…My sisters, I mean, say that I'm…Love-Sick!" she blushed to herself but continued, "And…and he's different…he doesn't make me feel to pretty like usual, or he doesn't make me feel ugly like some people attempt to do, and it just seems that he's never really _mad_ at me…" she smiled at the thought, "And now that I look at him…he looks so perfect!" she exclaimed to herself.

Robin…felt…angry. She was mad at Hancock. She felt like she had just stolen something from her when she said that. She felt like she had stolen…Luffy. She tried to mask her face with a look of though when she got to that part. She felt…jealous. She felt jealous that Hancock liked him. And suddenly, protective.

…But Luffy didn't belong to her. Was this what Zoro was smirking about earlier? No. No, no, and no. Why was she realizing this when she was ALONE. In an ALLEY. With the girl that bullied her who ALSO like him. Wasn't there a way to NOT feel this way? There was a cure for everything! Hancock had said it herself! Love-Sick! There had to be a cure for this sickness!

She inwardly sighed. Her mother would call her silly, and say something corny like, 'You can't cure what your heart needs, Robin.' And actually, for the first time since Jesus was born…maybe a mother was _right_ about something?! No. She was just accurate…Yes, that was it..

But…her heart did need him. But at the same time, everything else didn't. It was crazy! She had known him for three days! Who was she kidding? Crushes could develop within a first sighting! But despite that, it was now…odd. He was Luffy. It's not like he would like her! It's not like she would ask.

That's probably what got her really angry. It was the fact that she had probably known that she liked him, and it was the fact that she had so many chances to make a move, and it was the damn fact that she couldn't get a **grip** and now, someone she couldn't say no to just basically asked her to slowly get rid of any more chances she had with him.

"So?" Hancock softly interrupted her thoughts. In a way, though, it was great. Soon enough, her left and right brain would be stabbing each other with knives.

She thought about it. If she said no, Hancock would surely put more effort into tormenting her, and she would actually have a chance with Luffy. But, if she said yes, her first crush would be gone, but it was almost guaranteed kindness from Hancock; and not just towards her, most likely towards all of her friends, too.

Yes? No? Yes? No? Yes? No? No! No! NO!

"…Yes," she said, and gave a fake smile to the girl who made her want to cry afterall.


	15. Blushing

**Hello, people. So, today's Saturday, and maybe, MAYBE, I'll post one more chapter after this one tomorrow. So…I've totally ran out of useless things to say. See, THIS is why I'm excited to go to school. I'll be able to whine about my useless problems again. -_-. **

(*) **Best. Phrase. EVER. **

Hancock smiled at the girl so happily, it made Robin wonder if she had eaten Elmo and his little goldfish for lunch. But, she honestly only said 'Yes,' for one reason: She didn't want to get hurt. Yes, she had listed all of those other reasons, but this was the main reason why she had.

"So, what she I do to get Luffy?" she sighed happily. She may seem happy, but Robin was truly disgusted.

"Hm…I never got to think of that…" she put on a fake thinking pose. She bit her lip, hoping Hancock wouldn't yell at her for not knowing.

"Should I give you a while to think?"

Robin blinked, and said, "Yes…Yes, I think that would be best. Maybe… I could tell you at lunch time tomorrow?" she suggested, "Because tomorrow **is **Saturday," she said nervously.

"Yes! It's perfect! Meet me at the small Olive Garden place tomorrow, twelve o' clock. Don't be late! I need Luffy!" she sighed again, and walked away.

She blinked again. Robin would consider being Hancock's friend if she wasn't…. Hancock.

She smiled at the thought, though, but frowned when she heard the voice of none other than Luffy say, "ROBIIIIIIN!"

She sighed. She would have to not tell them what happened, and somehow not tell a complete lie at the same time. As if that made any sense.

She took a deep breath, turned around, and strode towards the group of friends who all managed to find a seat on the one, middle, bench.

"Talk," Nami instructed.

She bit her lip. Even if these were her friends, she didn't like explaining in front of large groups of people…. She took another deep breath, "Well…She just wanted to talk to me…" No lie yet.

"About…?" Zoro trailed off.

Shit, she was screwed. "…Crushes…"

"Crushes…?" Usopp repeated, "Okay…Did she happen to hurt you in any way? 'Cause if she DID I WILL HAVE MY 8,O0O MEN COME AND DESTORY HE-"

"So did she hurt ya'?" Zoro interrupted bluntly.

"No…" Robin mumbled.

"Are you telling us the SUPER truth, Nico Robin?" Franky asked, lifting his shades up.

"…Yes,"

"Are you sure, Robin-chan?" Sanji asked, concerned.

"Yes!" she spoke a little louder, starting to get annoyed.

"Are you SURE?" Luffy asked, frowning.

…She felt like he no longer trusted her. "YES," she said once more firmly.

"…Liar," Zoro said.

Everyone started screaming and yelling at Zoro for insulting her, while Chopper and Sanji decided to go physical and tried to crack his back. Yet throughout it, Luffy just stared at her.

He frowned, "She's not lying, Zoro,"

"HA!" the rest of them rubbed in his face while Robin inwardly sighed in relief.

"…But she's not telling us everything, either,"

"HA!" Zoro rubbed in their faces.

"What are you saying?" Robin asked, trying to look serious.

"Tell us everything,"

"I don't have to tell you anything," she spoke, and turned around, starting to leave.

… "So you don't trust us, Robin?"

"Of course I do!" she said, turning to face them once more.

"Then why won't you tell us?" Zoro blurted.

"Because I need **some** privacy. It seems more likely that **you're** the ones that don't trust me!" she bit her lip in somewhat regret for yelling at them like that.

Oddly enough, Luffy broke into a small smile, "Shishishi! Okay, Robin. We trust you!"

"Always trust Luffy to break the ice to a useless argument," Zoro muttered.

The group laughed again, and Robin smiled. To them, it was out of humor, but to her, it was out of relief.

As Robin and Luffy walked to the elevators at nine forty two, Robin genuinely smiled. The group of eight talked and talked and shared stories for five hours, with a Subway dinner break of course, and now, she felt like she knew them like the back of her hand.

As they were about to get into elevators, Luffy suddenly spoke up, "OI! OI! OI! TODAY'S FRIDAY! WE DON'T HAVE TO SLEEP AT TEN! I'M NOT GOING IN THERE YET!"

Robin blinked. Yes, he was right. What a waste of a Friday night to spend it like any other week day.

She gave a tired smile, "Well, what would you like to do, Luffy?"

"Wait. I'm getting a call from…Sanji,"

"May you put it on speaker phone?"

"Yosh!"

"…Oi? Luffy?"

"Hi Sanji!"

"…WHY THE HELL ARE WE GOING TO BED AT TEN WHEN IT'S FRIDAY NIGHT?!"

Luffy laughed. "That's so funny! Robin and I were just talking about that!"

"Psh. Well, what are you waiting for? Meet us at the top floor. I'll call everyone else,"

"Why the top?" Luffy asked.

"… ." Sanji forcefully faked laugh.

Robin sweatdropped at it. "Yosh! Let's go!" Luffy exclaimed, and the two of them got into another elevator.

As they waited until they got to the top, Luffy got distracted by the picture of meat behind them once again. But this time, Robin made sure to hold the boy's wrist as she walked out.

"Woah! SUGOI!" Luffy gaped at the place. Robin couldn't help but her lip separate from the rest of her face just a little. I mean, imagine it: a WHOLE floor, just for relaxing and hanging out. This was a literal teenage dream.

"HOT TUB! DISCO! MEAT!" the hyped boy exclaimed while Robin giggled. The large room seemed to be split into five different areas: a more of an Arcade Theme, a Spa Area, a Nightclub Area, a simple Hang Out Area, and, Robin could tell, Luffy's favorite: The Restaurant Area.

Luffy tapped his foot impatiently, "Maann!" he whined, "I want to go, NOW!"

"Luffy," Robin playfully scolded, "Let's wait for Sanji and the others,"

He pouted, "I knew you were gonna say that,"

However, Robin had an idea to actually listen to Luffy when she saw Hancock and her friends at the Spa Area.

"On second thought, Luffy-kun," she paused to get his attention, "Maybe you should go back down and get your swimsuit. Just in case you have the urge to go to the Spa Area,"

"Spa Area?! WHERE?!" he looked around.

Robin was getting desperate, so she blurted, "Just remember to get mine as well!"

He looked at her and blinked, "Oh. Okay!" he walked off towards the elevator again and grinned and waved as the doors started to close.

She smiled back, and sighed, relieved, when the doors closed and she heard the gears turning once more. She turned to where Hancock was at. The Spa Area, of course, but luckily, she was at the hot tub alone, as the others seemed to favor massages.

She took a deep breath for the third time that day as she walked towards her, the floor changing to white tile instead of the black carpet. She looked…different, then when she had talked to her earlier. Earlier, she seemed happy, and gleeful, and even drunk, one might say. But now, she seemed serious, and completely sober.

"Hancock?" she asked, as the other girl's eyes were closed.

"Who is it?" she asked coldly.

"It's Robin,"

She smiled excitedly, "Is Luffy with you?" she sighed.

"No, but that's why I'm here…You see, I suggested that he go down back to his dorm and get his swimsuit just in case he wanted to go to the hot tub-"

"I'm in the hot tub!" she suddenly squealed.

Robin would've sweatdropped if she wasn't in front of Hancock. "…Yes. So, I was thinking if you could maybe catch Luffy while he's down there and ask him if he wanted to join you,"

She gasped in happiness. "Yes…Yes, yes! It's perfect! But…what if he says no? What should I even say? I don't want to lose him!" she cried.

"Well…" she thought, "He likes to talk about…"

"About what?!" she asked desperately.

"About sometimes meat. Or you could talk about…Who's your P.E. teacher?"

"Err…I think his name was Smoker?"

"Do you like him?"

"Of course not! He's old, and bossy and works us too much!"

"Perfect! Luffy, you see, also sometimes whines about him, so it's an advantage. All you honestly have to do is bring up a subject. He has a habit of talking away once he hears it,"

"Really?" she sighed, starting to get excited.

She nodded. "Well…if excuse me, I'm going to go meet him!"

"What floor?"

"Eighth. First room to the right,"

"Okay! Luffy!" she cried as she ran away with her towel.

This time, Robin did sweatdrop. As she walked back to her original spot, she looked to the floor and sighed. Had she really just done that? Had she really just destroyed her chances even more? She really was an idiot, wasn't she? She wished she hadn't told her that. She wished that Luffy would think Hancock was weird and call her a complete jerk again. She wished for many things, but what she didn't wish for, was that all of her friends had sawn everything.

As she looked down, she bumped into something. "I'm sorry," she apologized and looked up, her whole body stiffening as she saw Zoro's frowning face.

"…What was that all about…woman?" he asked her coldly.

"What are you talking about?"

"Don't play stupid. We all saw it,"

"Saw what?"

"Psh. You won't drop the innocent act, will you? Why the hell were you talking to that demon, and why did she run away looking happy?! Where did you send her?"

"Robin-chan," Sanji looked at her, concerned, "I think it's time you tell us what's going on,"

She sighed. "…You can't tell Luffy,"

"She did hurt you, didn't she?!" Zoro spat.

"I'LL TELL MY MEN TO POUND HER!" Usopp yelled.

"No! No, no, it's nothing like that," Robin bit her lip. It was now or never. "I assume you remember earlier; how I said Hancock and I were talking about crushes?"

They all nodded. "But what does that have to SUPER do with anything?" Franky interrupted.

"SHUT UP! SHE'S KINDA TRYING TO EXPLAIN THAT!" Nami shrieked, and hit him in the head.

"She's scary," Chopper whispered to Zoro, who nodded after chuckling.

"Go, on, Robin," Zoro said.

"Yes. Well, you see, about the crushes part-"

"I KNEW IT! YOU HAVE A SUUPEEER CRUSH ON MUGIWARA!" Franky yelled, connecting his star tattoos on his wrists.

"YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON MY BABY BROTHER?!" Ace exclaimed, appearing out of nowhere with what seemed to be pie on his face. Everywhere.

"No-"

"So you don't?"

"No, I mean yes, bu-"

"Ha! So you do!"

"Well, yes, but no-"

"So do you or not?!"

"SHE WOULD TELL YOU IF SHUT UP!" BAM!

"I already fell into my pie…" the teacher whined on the floor.

Nami took a deep breath. "Okay, Robin. Do you like that idiot or not?"

"…Yes,"

Hell broke loose, as all of the people gave weird reactions like the odd people they were. Zoro laughed his ass off again. Sanji cried out of despair. Ace clapped his hands in celebration. Chopper…shoved chopsticks up his nose. Usopp started bragging about who knows what. Franky was dancing, and yelling, 'SUPER!' Nami was just trying to calm herself down from the loud applause of people behind her.

"Okay! Now, all of you morons sit the hell down and shut the hell up and let her finish her damn story,"

"Hai!" they said quickly practically fell to the ground out of fear.

Nami smiled, "Okay. Continue!"

"Yes. Well…it seemed as if bad luck had dawned upon me though, when I realized it,"

"How?"

"Well…it happened when I was talking to Hancock,"

"Ouch," they chorused.

"Who's Hancock?" Ace asked.

"This bitch who makes fun of Robin," Nami answered.

"Oh…Well in that case, Ouch,"

"Yes. Okay," she said awkwardly. "Well…it just so happened to be…because…Hancock also likes him,"

"OUCH!"

She sighed. "Hai. Ouch," she mumbled sadly. "I guess I realized it out of…jealousy?"

"So wait. How the hell do you know this, anyways?" Zoro asked.

"I was almost that part…You see, she pulled me over in the first place to ask for advice. She asked me, I guess, because she knows I'm afraid her, and apparently, I seem like a good person, and she thought I wouldn't tell anybody,"

… "So apparently, you're not a good person?!" Zoro started laughing again.

"Zoro! Stop! Nami's getting angry!" Chopper whispered to him.

He immediately stopped and nodded in gratefulness.

"So…" Robin continued, "She asked me to help her…get them together,"

"And so you said yes?!" Usopp asked, his eyes popping out of his skull.

Robin miserably nodded. "Robin-chan! Even though I still go against you liking that idiot, you shouldn't have said okay!" Sanji politely scolded, "Doesn't it hurt you?"

"Yes…I suppose you could say that. But I only said yes because she would only cause a bigger conflict if I said no…And if it works out, Hancock might actually treat us well," Robin bit her lip.

"Wow," Ace spoke, "Seems like you're in deep shit," (*)

She sighed again, "Hai,"

As they all started comforting her, she had failed to realize that they were still next to the Spa Area, where Hancock's friends were…

* * *

Luffy was about to unlock his door when he heard someone call his name from inside the elevator.

"Eh? Who is it? Oh. What do you want?" he childishly frowned as he saw Hancock step out.

She some how sighed. What the heck did that mean? He had no idea. Probably some girl thing.

"I…I…I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to the hot tub on the top floor?" she asked quickly, still blushing.

"Um. Why?" he scratched his head and tilted it.

"Because…because I'm lonely! That's it!"

"Oh. Okay, then. I guess," he said and walked inside his dorm, the door still open. Wait. Why had he said yes anyways?! What was wrong with him?! She hurt Robin's feelings! Wait. She had told them to trust her with that whole earlier situation…It must be okay, he guessed.

"Luffy!" he heard her sigh, which made him blink cluelessly. When had she gotten so drunk?

He got his shorts and towel from his own closet and walked back out, turning off the lights and closing the door.

"Yosh! Let's go!" he said, grinning, and walked into the elevator. As the two of them waited in the elevator, Hancock suddenly spoke up, "I really hate that P.E. teacher, Smoker. He whines too much and looks so old,"

Luffy gasped happily. "SUGOI! You hate him, too?!He's so annoying! I mean I bet I would like P.E. if I got my brother instead of that annoying ossan! I mean, one time, last year, he tried to fail me when I showed up practically every single day! I was even the fastest runner in class! I should really tell oji-chan to fire his old butt!"

He continued talking and talking until they were about only a few floors away.

"So…" Hancock bit her lip, "Robin's nice, huh?"

"Um. Yeah. Robin's really nice! I think she's my best girl friend. Zoro's my best guy friend,"

"Oh, crap! I forgot something!" he realized once they were on the topic of the girl.

"I'll come with you!" Hancock spoke quickly.

"Okay!" he said, and pushed the button that had the number 8 on it.

"So…" she repeated again, "D-D-Do you like meat? Because I love it…" she lied.

" MEAT?! Meat's the best creation in the whole wide world! I could eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner! And I do! LOOK! There's even this cool picture of meat that I usually look at when I'm in this elevator!" he exclaimed, showing the picture behind them.

* * *

Hancock smiled as she got to look at the adorable little boy's face as he talked and grinned and laughed. Sadly, though, it was interrupted when Luffy said, "So. Before meat, why do you think Robin's nice?" He was genuinely curious.

"Well, I see how she acts towards other people."

"You know how I call you a jerk?"

"..H-Hai,"

"Well it would be awesome if you acted like Robin! Shishishishishi!"

Hancock's eye twitched. Did he really just say that he wanted her to be like ROBIN? The nerd, the geek, the annoying little brat? The only reason she had even talked to her was so that she could talk to Luffy! Not to talk to Luffy about HER!

Yet, she went along with it. If that was what made Luffy happy. "So…You and Robin are close?"

"Oh, yeah. Even though I only met her like, three days ago," he spoke, but held up four fingers, "I think Robin's awesome!" he grinned, then looked around as if he was a spy.

"Since you're not really part of my friends, and I think I can trust you, I wanna tell you something!"

She gasped happily. He already trusted her? She nodded.

"Okay….But don't tell anybody!" he whispered, and held his index finger over his mouth.

"I won't….Luffy!" she sighed.

"Okay…Well…Last night…."

"Yes?"

"I kissed her,"

"…WHAT!" she fell on her knees, her hair covering her face and whispered, "Luffy! Luffy. Luffy, Luffy, Luffy, Luffy, Luffy!"

"Oi! What's wrong with you!? Are you okay!"

"Yes! I'm okay!" she whispered, looking up at him.

He sighed. "Good! Now, get up, Hammock! We're almost there!" he grinned, "And remember not to tell anybody!"

She nodded and smiled as she got up, but on the inside, she had already exploded. That bitch! She must have an even better plan! She must like Luffy, too! She probably just gave her this crap of a plan to entertain her! But will she let that geek do that to her? Of course not! She was Boa Hancock! If that's how she wanted to play, then Hancock would have to play that way, too!

* * *

As they got out of the elevator, Luffy thought about what had happened. He had kissed her! God, he felt like an idiot all over again. And like an eclipse, he blushed his rare blush, but made sure not to let Hammock see it. As he walked inside his dorm again to get Robin's stuff, he heard her call his name again.

When he thought that all that weird red stuff was off his face again, he turned around, "Yeah?"

He stumbled backwards into the dark room that was only slightly illuminated by the light in the hallway. His eyes widened as he saw Hancock's eyelids right in front of his own, closed. He slightly opened his mouth but closed it, once he realized that her lips were on it.

As he gently pushed her off and gasped for air. He looked at her, angry, but it disappeared as he saw her look at him like a weirdo.

"What is it?!" he gasped, still out of breath. She was like a vacuum!

She smiled and squealed, but finally whispered, "Luffy-kun! You're blushing!"


	16. Reading Lips

**Heyo. …I honestly don't have anything. But, now that I think about it…I REALLY don't wanna go to school!...Yet at the same time, I DO. So, my dad suggested that we wash our dog in the bathtub…It was a hell of a time. XD But afterwards, I had to clean up EVERYTHING. Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning. 'Tis the story of my life. **

**So, to Naytlol, the whimpering and such will be explained next chapter. …Yeah.**

**(*) I swear, Imma poet and I didn't know it.**

* * *

Luffy blinked at her. Blushing?! NO! No! "Crap! I thought I got rid of that!" he muttered to himself, pouting.

Hancock gasped. Had he been blushing because he was spending time with her?! Was this what they called…marriage?

Bu just to make sure, "L-Luffy…?" she started, "W-Why were you blushing?"

He looked at her, "Do ya' really want to know?"

Hancock close her eyes, "Hai…!" First, he would say, "Because of you, my beautiful Hancock!" Next, he would say, "Now please! Let us get married!" Then, at the ceremony, "I Love You, Hancock,"

"Hancock, Hancock, Hancock, Hancock, Hancock," she slowly, consciously mumbled happily.

"Because of…" He started.

"Yes…!"

"Robin,"

… "I'm sorry…WHAT,"

"Ah, well you see, I was thinking about that **time,**" he put his index finger over his mouth again, "And I got mad at myself for doing that,"

"…Oh…Oh."

"Yeah, and speaking of kissing…**What the hell was that for**?!" he whined, sticking out his tongue.

"Because! I Love You!" she cried, but quickly turned around and scolded herself for letting her feelings get the best of her.

Luffy blinked at her. "I don't get it,"

"Y-You mean about love?" Hancock stuttered as she turned around.

"Yeah! What the hell is that? Some kind of flower?"

"No! Luffy…Love…is a special feeling that you get when you're with someone. Like a happy feeling. Or a feeling that you care deeply about them,"

"Oh! So I love my oji-chan, and my nii-chan, right?"

"Yes, yes! Who else?"

"Well…I love all my friends!"

"Yes! That's it! But…there's also…a different kind of love…" Hancock blushed.

"Oh! Really! What is it?! Tell me!"

"Well…you know how people get married?"

"Yes,"

"And you know how you only do it with someone really…really, special?"

"Uh-huh,"

"Well, when you get married to someone, that must mean that you love them in the special kind of love…One that you shouldn't feel for your family,"

"Oh! I see! So, either way, I'll always love my family and stuff, so that's a HAPPY love, right? But a MYSTERY love is when you love someone that you don't really have to, but you do!"

"Yes, yes!" she sighed, "Now…Do you love…me?"

"Hm…Happy or Mystery?"

"M-Mystery,"

He laughed, "How am I supposed to love you Mystery if I don't even love you Happily?" He laughed again and turned around to walk deeper into his dorm as he left Hancock to fall on her knees once more. (*)

He still doesn't love me? How? I am Boa Hancock! He doesn't even love me…Happily…! But, if I l him see me like this…he will never love me! I will have to please him, and show him I am worthy of his Mystery Love!

As she got up, she asked him as she slowly walked over, "S-So, w-what do you need to get, Luffy?"

"Robin's stuff,"

Another CD was scratched. "What…?"

"Robin's stuff! You know, her swimsuit and her towel!"

"H-How?"

"What do you mean how, Hammock?"

"I mean…how are you getting her stuff?"

"Because she's my roommate! That's what you mean, right?"

"H-Hai," she twitched again.

"Okay! Which one should I bring? Pink or purple? I don't get it!"

"Purple," Hancock muttered.

"Yosh! Let's go!"

He grinned to himself as they walked out if the dorm and into the elevator again.

Hancock stood quietly in her bikini and towel as they went up. She stared at the floor intensely, as if she looked at it long enough al her problems would disappear.

Damn that Robin! It was funny, how that geek tried to outsmart _her._ No. _She_ was the sneaky one! _She_ was the one who made people think like this! Not the other way around! She clutched the pink, fuzzy towel that was wrapped around her body as she clenched her teeth. She had tried to be nice! HER. To someone as low as that geek! Now, she was getting _teased_. Mocked! Being completely and utterly made fun of! She even shared a room with him! Oh, the advantages that brat had against her! The things they could do…

She clenched her teeth harder as the elevator got to the top floor once more. She gave a smile and grabbed Luffy's hand as she dragged him towards the hot tub.

"Oi, oi! Where are we going?" he asked her.

"To the hot tub of course!"

"But can't I say hi to my friends?!" he whined.

"You see them everyday. You should be hanging out with people that you wished you could hang out with! Or even people that you don't see very often!" she huffed quickly, still dragging the innocent little boy.

"Yeah? Who do I wish to see?"

"U-um…." She blushed, "Me?"

"Hmmm…." He made a thinking pose, "Nah!"

She fell to the floor once more, but quickly got up when she heard his idiotic friend with the deep voice, "Oi! Luffy! Get over here! Where ya' going?"

"Eh, like I hell I know!" he yelled back.

"What do you mean you don't know?! Who's dragging you?" Nami asked him, starting to walk in his direction.

"Hammock!"

"Well why are you letting her?" Nami furrowed her eyebrows at the boy.

"…I don't know!"

"Come on, Luffy! Speak up for yourself!" she urged, still stomping towards the girl who was dragging him away.

"Ehhh…That sounds like a lot of work! But whatever! I'll tr-" the girl threw him into the changing room.

"Hurry up, Luffy! I'll be waiting for you!" she sighed.

"Hey, hey, hey! What makes you think you can boss Luffy around like that?" Nami huffed once she caught up with the girl, putting her hands on her hips.

"Ugh. So what? It's not like little Luffy cares! Besides, I see you hitting everyone one the head all the time!" Hancock frowned.

"Well yeah, but they're my friends! They don't mind as much as being dragged around by some random person!" she argued.

"I'm not random! I'm Hancock! And for a matter of fact, he _said_ he would go with me to the hot tub!"

"Oh come on he's Luffy! I bet he doesn't even know Hawaii's part of the USA!"

"Psh! Of course it's not!"

"**Yes**, it is!" Nami narrowed her eyes.

"No it's not!"

"It was the most recent state to join! You can't name all fifty states without it!"

"And how would someone like you know?!"

"Because my mother's in the navy! She teaches me about all that geography crap! What the heck does your mother do?"

"My mother's a model!"

"Oh, I see! So how many fathers do you have? Seven? Eight? I bet twelve!" she mocked, crossing her arms.

"Shut up!"

"I'm done!" Luffy exclaimed, popping his head out from the small room.

"Luffy!" both girls exclaimed at the same time.

They grabbed one arm each, and pulled in the opposite directions. "Oi, oi, oi! Cut it out! That hurts!" he whined, "It's not like I'm made of rubber!"

"Why don't you tell _her_ to stop?!" Nami growled, pulling his arm towards the rest of the friends.

"No! You said you'd go to the hot tub with me!"

"Oh yeah, I did, huh? Sorry, Nami!" he grinned at her, which earned him a light thwack in the head.

"It's not like you promised! Come on! I'm your friend!"

"But Luffy! I kissed you!"

"What the hell does that have to do with anythi- Wait, WHAT!?" Nami shrieked, letting go of his arm.

Hancock fell on her butt on the tile, while Luffy, being the unlucky one, fell on his face.

"Luffy! What do you mean?! You KISSED her?!" she asked, spreading out her arms and hands.

"Well, yes, but I don't really think so! I mean, she kissed ME! I don't know why, though! Then, she said she loved me! And then, I was like, 'I don't get it!' And then, she was like, 'You mean about love?' and then I was like, 'Yeah!' And then, she told me about Happy and Mystery love! Then, she asked me if I loved her, and then I asked, 'What kind?' Then, she said all weird, 'Mystery!' so then, I said 'How am I supposed to love you Mystery if I don't even you love you Happily?' Then, I started laughing, and she made a weird face!" he said in one breath, giggling once he had caught it once again.

"Woah, woah, woah! Hold up! You said you loved him?" Nami asked in humorous disbelief.

"Of course! It's true! Someday, I'll even marry him!" she sighed.

"YOU. Want to marry HIM?" she asked in real disbelief. "Look at him! He's picking his nose!"

"Ew. This one's all bloody!" he inspected it.

"Something as small as mucus cannot separate the power of love!" she sighed.

"Whatever! Come on, Luffy! Let's go! We're all waiting for you!"

"But Nami! I told her I would go!" he whined

"But Luffy!" she mimicked in the same tone, "I'm telling you to **NOT**,"

"Be quiet! Don't boss Luffy around!" Hancock growled at her.

"Says the chick who dragged him across the floor," she scoffed, "Luffy! Think about it! She tortures Robin! She hates her! Do you want to go hot tubbing with HER?"

"Eh…That's pretty persuasive," he made a thinking pose.

"Did you just say 'persuasive'?" Nami's eyes widened.

"Yeah. …That's not a word, is it?" he asked, confused.

She shook her head, "Nevermind! Just come!"

"No Luffy! Don't be mean to me!" Hancock pouted.

"But now that I think about it…You were mean to Robin!"

"Yes!" Nami cheered to herself.

"But Luffy! I'm nice to her now! Remember? I even talked to her at Lunch!"

"That's true, too…" he closed his eyes.

Nami facepalmed and said sternly, "Luffy. One last chance. You can come with her, the…thing, that hurts Robin's feelings, or you can come with ME back to our FRIENDS,"

* * *

"What do you think they're SUPER talking about?" Franky asked.

"I don't know…But Nami's been there a while…It must be a pretty good fight," Zoro commented, frowning.

Sanji scrunched up his nose, "Look at that moron! Picking his nose in front of Nami-san!"

Robin frowned at the whole thing. She was trying to read Hancock's lips.

'No! You said you'd go to the hot tub with me!'

…

'But Luffy! I…kissed you?' She felt her heart drop. No. No, that possibly couldn't be it. She looked at the back of Nami, inspecting her reaction.

She leaned forward, her hands in the air.

She bit her lip in sadness, and felt her shoulders slump, letting the news sink in. Hancock had kissed Luffy.


	17. I'm Gonna Tell My Nami On You!

**Hi. So, sorry about not updating. Must've pissed you all off…But my internet decided to get all jacked up when I was about to update, so, I'm sure you can all guess that I've completely rewritten this part…I'm so busy. It's annoying. I honestly even momentarily FORGOT about this for like, four days…? I apologize. I honestly wouldn't even be updating, but I have the flu…**** I've thrown up three times…is that bad? Sorry, TMI. Ehhhh…I feel even more whiny than usual! Whatever. Hope ya' like it! Shorty chap…I have my own Mugiwara Migraine. **

Robin stared at them, but more importantly, stared at Luffy. Urge. Want. No, need. She felt so happy with him. So carefree. She never had to worry about anything. Every moment with him was added to her perfect scenes. But he was so…far. Her chances were incredibly far.

Her eyes scanned across the scene, and landed on her friend. Nami was probably her best friend. Luffy was her crush, so that was a different story. Her lip curved into a small smile as she watched the redhead move her arms in the air, probably out of emphasis. She was completely arguing and cursing at the girl who had made fun of her. She was grateful and wanted to hug her out of happiness, but that would be inappropriate at the moment.

Finally, her blue eyes landed on the whole problem. Hancock. She was so…mad. She was angry that she like Luffy, and for once, she was jealous…of her. She knew all this before, but never really realized it until the fact had shoved and pushed it's way into her life. Hancock was so…perfect. So tall. So beautiful. So elegant. So charming. Her eyes seemed clearer and bluer than her own. Her hair seemed darker and thicker than her own. Her skin was healthier and glowed more than her own. And she, herself, was far more perfect than her.

Ever since she had came to this school, she had started to feel happy. She started to feel pretty. She started to feel loved. But as Lucci and Hancock arrived, everything went back as if nothing changed. She went back to her flaws. She felt like the geek, the nerd, the loser again. She felt like she didn't even deserve her friends. And my god, it had only been three days!

It was almost certain she wouldn't get a happy ending. If anything, she starred in a tragedy, and obviously, her ending would be, well, tragic. She did what the boy had done not to long ago – her shoulders were more relaxed, a frowned was place on her lips, and she stared at the floor, which was somehow much more interesting at the moment.

"Hey, hey! Robin! Are you okay?" Usopp scratched his head in concern.

"Are you sick? Do you need a doctor? Somebody call the doctor!" Chopper panicked.

"Well you're the only person close to a doctor around here, unless you want to go down to the first floor and call the school nurse!" Usopp spoke lamely.

Sanji sighed, "Alright, alright. I don't know about you guys…But I've had enough of this shit," he frowned, "Plus, I can't stand seeing Robin-chan like this. So…" he turned around, "LUFFY GET YOUR ASS OVER HERE!"

They could see him sit up straight in surprise. "G-GOT IT, SANJI!" he whimpered cutely, which earned him another sigh from the girl next to him.

"Luffy! But what about me?" Hancock pouted.

"Sorry, Hammock! Sanji's gonna kick my ass if I don't get over there!" he quickly got up and walked to the rest of the group, Nami following, satisfied, after sticking her tongue out at Hancock.

As the two arrived, Robin saw Nami glance a devilish smirk at her, "Hey, Luffy. Robin has something to tell you,"

She held her breath as she heard the people behind her gasp their signature, "EH?!"

"Yeah! Go on, Robin! You told it to all of us, didn't you?" Nami teased her friend.

"Yeah! Tell me! Tell me, tell me, tell me!" Luffy jumped up happily.

"I…"

"Yeah?"

"I…"

"YEAH?!"

"I…had the idea that we should all go to the hot tub together, instead of you with Hancock alone," she saved.

Luffy blinked at her. "Well, okay!" He grinned, "Let's go now!"

Robin sighed in relief as the rest of them started to walk to the changing rooms.

"Oi, oi, oi! How did you guys know to bring swimsuits?" Luffy interrupted.

"'Cause everyone knows of the hot tub here!" Nami said as it was obvious.

"I didn't know that!"

"Well that's because you're Luffy," Zoro smirked.

"Ehhh! That's not funny!" he whined as the rest of them laughed.

As they all changed and got out, they all ended up staring at the immature one of the group.

"…What?" Luffy asked, dumfounded.

"Luffy…" Sanji sighed again, "Why the hell are you wearing a shirt?"

"Because…it's cold?" he tried.

"Right. In a hot tub," Usopp scoffed.

"Well maybe I like wearing shirts!" he whined.

"You jump at any chance to take your shirt off," Zoro raised his eyebrow, which made Luffy pout.

"You're acting strange, Mugiwara," Franky commented.

"Are YOU sick?!" Chopper panicked.

"No! No…" he mumbled.

"Luffy," Nami scolded as if he was a child, "What are you hiding from us?"

"Hmm…Nothing," he said back in a similar tone.

"Luffy," she repeated in a stricter voice, "Take. Off. Your shirt."

"No!"

"Do it!"

"Stop it, you evil witch!"

"I'm not from the damn west!"

"I don't care!"

"Luffy," Robin spoke in a calmer voice, "May you please tell us what's going on?"

He stared at her, and pouted, "Fine…But no one yell. I'm gonna handle this," he instructed.

…

"EH?! YOU ARE SICK! CALL A DOCTOR!"

"No, Chopper!" Zoro calmed him down, annoyed, "He's not sick…Just…hurt? How the hell did that happen?"

"Well…It started in Chemistry. Stupid pigeon pervert was probably mad at me… So he started elbowing me. It didn't hurt though, so I laughed at him… But I didn't make any sounds!" he quickly added, "Then, he started doing it even harder! I don't even know how you can do that without making a big show! Once, he even pinched me really, really, really hard, and now I have a bunch of bruises, too!" he pouted. "They're all even on one side! Who does that?!"

"Bruises!? He did that to you?" Nami asked in disbelief.

"Yes…" he mumbled.

"…So you sure you're gonna handle it? 'Cause I can kick his ass for you," Zoro commented.

"Ehh?! Are you crazy? I'm not a wimp! I'm not gonna beat him up just because of a couple of bruises!" he exclaimed.

"Define 'A Couple,'" Sanji said.

"Define 'Define,'"

"You don't even know what that means, do you?!"

"No..." he grinned.

He sighed. "It means to explain,"

"Oh! Well… One, two…Seven!"

"SEVEN?!" they all chorused.

"Yeah...That's a couple, right?"

"NO! I couple is ONE or TWO or THREE!" Nami smacked him on the head.

"Make it eight…" he whined.

"YOU'RE HURT! I SHOULD CALL A DOCTOR!"

"Chopper! He just said he's not a wimp…Besides, I'm sure Luffy knows where to draw the line," Zoro reassured.

"Yeah! It's in the space where two dots connect!"

"No, moron, he means…Ah, forget it," Sanji sighed for the millionth time that day.

"…So are you gonna still keep that thing on or not?" Usopp asked, "'Cause I'm gonna be the first one in!"

He ran to the tub.

"Wait for me!" Chopper exclaimed, and followed him.

"Oi, oi, oi! I wanna be first!" Luffy exclaimed, and ran to go follow them.

"Hold it!" Nami said, blocking his way with her arm, "First, take it off. I don't want to be known as the girl who goes hot tubbing with a moron,"

"Ehhh….Fine…" he did as told, and ran off happily.

They all gasped once he did, though. Seven was pretty accurate. However, they shrugged it off as it was Luffy, and the rest of the boys walked over.

"…Everything alright?" Nami asked in concern.

"…Yes…But I can' t help but feel somewhat…responsible," Robin confessed.

"What? Come on! This is Luffy we're talking about! I've only known him for three days and I can tell he won't blame it on you! Don't sweat it," Nami smiled.

"Are you sure?"

"Of course I am!"

"…Arigatou, Nami-san," Robin smiled at her.

"No prob. Now, let's go before they take all the good spots!"

* * *

Robin was waiting in an elevator with Zoro to her room. Why was she with him? Because he was carrying a knocked out Luffy over his shoulder. After the hot tub, they decided to play a bit in the arcade, and get a snack before they all headed off to bed. At around one, Robin had successfully won a small blue bunny at a skill crane, and had mocked Zoro when she had beaten him at a racing game.

Afterwards, Luffy had ordered piles and piles of meat, while the rest of them just decided to share a pizza. Luckily for him, he didn't have to pay, thanks to his 'oji-chan.' When he was done with his fourth pile, he just…collapsed. Chopper, being to closest to a doctor, finally concluded that Luffy had eaten so much meat…that he was high.

They all separated after that, and Zoro volunteered to carry him back with Robin.

"…I would've won that," Zoro mumbled.

Robin giggled, "How so?"

"You just got damn lucky! That freakin' blue shell hit me when I was in first place!"

"You were only in first place because you used a Bullet Bill."

"Shut up, woman!"

"I'm actually younger than you,"

"STOP IT!"

"Stop what? Stop talking?"

"YES!"

"No," she giggled.

"What do you mean no?"

"Zoro-kun, no means I reject your offe-"

"GOD,"

She giggled again. Messing with him was fun.

"Arigatou, Zoro-kun," she smiled as she unlocked her door.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever," he mumbled as he laid the 'drunk' boy on his bed.

"I'll see you tomorrow," she said, as he walked out.

"Same to you," he called behind his back before she closed the door.

As she continued her usual nighttime routine and got into bed. Her thought that she had completely forgotten about came back.

Luffy had kissed Hancock. She hid her face under her blanket in embarrassment when she suddenly felt the bed shake.

"Ehhh…" she suddenly heard Luffy whine as she saw him poke his head up again and half-heartedly hit the metal bars, "Robiiiin! You said I could play my X-Box for half an hour more tonight!"

Crap, she had said that, hadn't she? "Luffy-kun," she rubbed her eyes tiredly. "Can't you just please play it tomorrow?"

"Ehhh! Robiiin!" he whined and tapped on her hand. "Pleeease?"

It seemed as though he was still half asleep. "Luffy," Robin sighed and patted his own hand, "I promise. I _promise_ tomorrow morning you can play for TWO hours,"

"…Two hours?"

"Yes. Two."

"And you promise?"

"Yes. I promise."

"…Okay…But don't break it this time! Or else I won't be your friend anymore! And I'm gonna tell my Nami on you!"

She smiled and ruffled his hair, "Yes, Luffy…I promise…I have a plan for sleeping in, anyways…It's almost three…"

"Okay…" he smiled. "Goodnight!"

"Goodnight to you, too, Luffy," she smiled before she laid back down, and closed her eyes.


	18. Falling

**Yo! I'm not sure if you're screaming with anger, happiness, or I'm just completely insane and you're not screaming at all. I REALLY hate screaming. It hurts my throat. So…It's been like what, three weeks? I'm SO. DAMN. SORRY. Good news is, over those three weeks, I've lost my stage fright! Yay! My teacher just told me to keep performing some sort of skit every. Single. Day. And now, it feels like nothing! The first day, though, I couldn't stop shaking. :p Well, due to the long wait, here's a chapter that will have you BEGGING for more, despite the fact that it's pretty short for my taste. O.o**

* * *

Luffy had woken up extra early to play his game - he was sure if he woke up any later, Robin would've persuaded him to somehow play another time. He wasn't even sure HOW she managed to do it. It was like he couldn't say no to her.

He stuck his tongue out, focusing, as he jammed the buttons on the controller, blood slashing everywhere. He chuckled as he jumped off building. He loved falling in haystacks.

He liked playing video games, not just because they were fun, but he could oddly think clearly when he did. It's not like the game would give you something you didn't know. There was no thinking whatsoever, so he could let his mind wander into different things.

Several things led to another, which all started with friends. Friend? Zoro. Zoro? Green. Green? Vomit. Vomit? Ew, gross. Gross? Snails. Snails? Cooking. Cooking? Sanji. Sanji? Pervert. Pervert? Girls. Girls...? Robin.

He puffed up his cheeks. Despite how much he oddly did it, he didn't want to think about Robin right now. It was always way too complicated. He always had an urge to slam his face into whatever was close by. Last night, he had slammed it into his pie. Luckily, he took his advantage of his narcolepsy and pretended to be asleep.

Just thinking about **that** made him bang his head onto his controller. He sighed, hearing the usual sound that alerted his death. He kept his head down, and frowned. He acted so stupid around her. He knew he wasn't the smartest, but he wasn't stupid, either. Nor was he clumsy!

He found himself yelling and screaming in pain more often, and his embarrassment toll climbed every day. The worst part was, she _laughed_ at him. He felt sad when she did.

But aside from that, his bruises hurt like HELL. Damn pigeon bastard. Zoro's been elbowing him a lot lately, too, along with a weird smile, but they didn't hurt! It seemed as though he was hinting something. But the thing is, he didn't know WHAT.

As he respawned, he fought the urge to slam his head again. He quickly died again, obviously because he wasn't focusing, and closed his eyes again as he sighed. He obviously wasn't going to get that far in his game, so he put on his jacket and slippers and went downstairs to the cafeteria, quietly closing the door.

He sighed again as he leaned back against the elevator wall, his eyes looking at the meat painting on the wall. He gave a small smile, but it quickly turned back into a frown. He had never thought so much in such a small period of time. It HURT. However, he found it quite… amusing. It was torture embarrassing himself, but it was fun because once he thought about it, he couldn't escape. It was like a test. Yeah.

As he walked out, he headed to the Starbucks where he got his scarf. He really should wear it again sometime. He ordered his usual drink and a blueberry scone, and sat down at a table. The cafeteria wasn't crowded and full, but it wasn't empty either. He checked the time on his clock – eight o' seven. Robin would probably wake up in twenty minutes or so.

Luffy opened his coffee lid to let it cool as he nibbled at his scone. He rested his head on his hand as he let his eyelids droop. He couldn't do anything. He felt so bored. He felt so lazy. He felt like he had no appetite. Him! He slammed his head on the desk.

"Oi, ya' dumbass. What are ya' doing here, looking like one of those emos?"

He slightly lifted his head, "Hi Sanji. I have a mystery feeling."

"Oh, yeah? Well, why don't you tell me about it?" he asked, lighting a cigarette as he sat down.

"You're gonna get caught Sanji," Luffy warned, lifting his head up.

"Psh. By who?"

Luffy simply sighed again. He couldn't stop, despite that it started to hurt his lungs.

"Sorry, sorry," Sanji apologized, "Now, what's the problem?"

"I told you. Mystery. FEELING!"

"So this confuses you?"

"Yup,"

"Well, do you feel it all the time? Or only at certain times?"

"Certain times,"

"What are you usually thinking about?"

"…Do I have to tell you?"

"Well, considering the fact that it seems to be private…Yes,"

He moaned, and slammed his head on the table again.

"Alright, Luffy, stop being a dumbass and tell me,"

He moaned again.

"Luffy,"

Again.

"Luffy,"

Again.

"LU-"

"Luypem,"

"..What?"

"Luypem,"

"Uh, Luffy, I don't speak shit, so could you translate it to English?" he frowned.

"Robin!" he screamed at him, which made him slightly jump.

"So…you have 'Mystery Feelings'…for Robin-chan?"

He nodded, and rested his chin on the table.

Now Sanji sighed, "Well, I can't help you with that. Sorry. Not really. But, it's just something that can't be helped," he shrugged.

"What do you mean?" he whined, his head starting to fall off the table.

"I mean I can't help you. Come on, Luffy. You may be an idiot, but you're not stupid. You don't need my help. Besides, I don't even know how I could,"

"So you're not going to try?!"

"Nope," he said as he got up.

"Wait. WAIT! WAIT, SAN!...ji…" he sighed as he got up, put slowly sat back down.

He stared at his reflection in his coffee, and checked the time. Eight twenty one. He got up and went back in line, deciding to get some for Robin. After he got another cup of what he got, he went back into the elevator.

He leaned against the wall again, and looked up at the light on the ceiling until he started crying, and everything got dark. He rubbed his eyes with his arms, his vision slowly returning. The elevator had so many…memories, even though he only knew it for a few days. It went from just twenty minutes ago, to Hancock teaching him about love, to going to the first day of class.

The doors opened, but as he took his first step, he stopped, the doors then closing. As the elevator went back down to some other floor, he stepped back, his back hitting the wall again. He felt dizzy…and confused…and angry.

He thought about the first time he met Robin. He thought he would probably just hang out with Sanji and Zoro for the rest of the year. He thought Robin was probably going to be some other girl he would probably never see again. But what he never thought…was that he would ever catch himself falling for her.


	19. Resisting

**Heya! Yeah, that last chapter got me REALLY excited about writing this story again. Honestly, I felt a bit bored. A BIT. But, I won't abandon. I hate people who do that. :3 So… SUPSENSE! Sort of. I can't really tell if their suspense in my own writing because I already know what's gonna happen next, so… Dude, do you know what word people say A LOT without even noticing? Like. If you were to put it in writing, you would think that that character was a priss or something. But, you probably say it more than the character does. *-* No, seriously. Just count how many times you say 'Like' in a day. I said it 32 times so far. O.o **

**P.S., I wasn't planning on using McDonalds, but I'm NOT writing about going into a guy's restroom. Hell knows what goes on in there. O.o**

* * *

"L-Luffy!?" Hancock sighed as she saw the teen in the elevator, staring at the ground.

"Luffy?" she said again after she got no reply.

"Luffy?"

"Huh? Oh, hi, Hammock," he nodded at her.

She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, "Is something wrong, Luffy? Did someone hurt you? I'LL DESTROY THE-"

"No, no! It's not that!" he shook his head quickly.

"Oh," she calmed down, stepping in the elevator with him, "Then what is it?"

"…It's nothing,"

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah,"

"…So why do you have two cups?"

"Hm? Oh. This is for…Robin," he turned his head away.

She clenched her fist, "Robin? T-That's so…nice," she forced a happy tone.

"Mhm," he said quickly, tapping his foot. "Where's this elevator going anyways?" he asked, tapping faster.

She blinked at his foot, but said, "Um… The cafeteria,"

"Well when is it going to GET there?" he asked, still looking at the wall.

"Um…In a few seconds…" she whimpered, starting to get creeped out by the tone of his voice.

"Great," he said, somewhat sarcastically.

Her lip quivered. She had never seen him act like this before. He seemed frustrated and angry…at…her?

"Luffy…?" she asked again softly, "A-Are you okay? Y-You're not acting like yourself," she whimpered.

He stopped tapping, and looked at her. "It's none of your business,"

She gasped dramatically, leaning back as she did so.

"But-but! But Luffy! I love you! You must tell me! We need to communicate!" she gasped, standing straight again.

He looked sadly at the ground in between his coffee cups. "…Do you want me to tell you?"

"Hai! Hai!" she nodded quickly.

"Uh…Well…you know how you taught me about this love thing?" he asked.

"Hai-Hai!" she nodded, smiling.

"W-Well, I think I feel that for someone…the Mystery kind…"

She took a sharp intake of air, "H-How does she look like?"

"…Well, she's a little bit taller than me,"

She nodded, her smile slowly growing.

"A-And she has pretty black hair,"

She blushed at his complement.

"And I really like her blue eyes…" he finished, turning his head away again.

"…W-What's…her name?" she squealed softly.

"…Robin."

Another CD scratched. "R…ROBIN?" she screamed at him.

She closed her eyes as she fell to the ground of the elevator.

She was in a mysterious place. Dark, depressing…horrifying. Screams were everywhere, with wild roars, and no matter how much she ran, the dark, sick place wouldn't end. She tripped, her hair covering her face as she sat on the ground. She slowly looked up, seeing a light.

"…Luffy?" she cried, seeing his back facing her.

He slightly turned around to look at her, his hair covering his face, but stopped halfway and smiled. Hancock's lip quivered as she saw that devil, Robin, walk to him from nowhere, her hair also covering her face. She watched as the two of them smiled at each other, locked their hands, and walked away, leaving her in the darkness.

She sobbed on the floor, her hands still supporting her body.

DING!

"DUDE! GET OFF OF THE DAMN FLOOR AND BE A BITCH SOMEWHERE ELSE WILL YA'?" a voice yelled at her.

She looked back up, seeing she was in the elevator again, noticing Luffy was gone. She looked up angrily at the person who yelled at her, slapping their face as she got up and left.

She needed to find him. She needed to find Luffy, before he went to that devil.

* * *

The straw hat boy was walking through the crowds, trying to get Hancock off his trail before he got back inside another elevator. Sure, she was nice and all, but she was damn ANNOYING. He didn't know what was up with her overreactions and such. He heard her call his name through the crowds, and went somewhere he knew girls wouldn't ever go – McDonalds. He didn't know why, but girls hated there. Oil this, OMG one time I saw the McNuggets melt that. It was annoying. So, he sat at one of the far end tables until he heard her screeching subside.

He quickly got up, and went Spy Mode – playing Assassins Creed didn't teach him nothing!

After he concluded the coast was clear, he ran to the elevators, and repeatedly pressed the button that automatically closed the doors.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry!" he frowned, tapping his foot in rhythm with the button.

Finally, FINALLY, the doors closed, and he sighed in relief, collapsing on the ground dramatically, until he remembered there were cameras watching his every move. He quickly got up, dusted himself off, fixed his hat, and stuck his tongue out as he waited for the elevator to get to his floor.

…DAMN! He forgot his coffee at McDonalds. Oh well…

…DAMN! WHAT THE HELL WAS HE SUPPOSED TO SAY TO ROBIN?! How did he come up with topics before?! Think, damn it! He puffed out his cheeks and paced around the small elevator, but then paused. He stared directly at the camera and stuck his tongue out, then proceeding on his pacing.

He took a sharp intake of air as the elevator doors opened, and he was greeted with Robin standing right there.

"Ah, good morning, Luffy-kun. I was wondering where you had went. I'm going to go but some breakfast. Would you like to come? That is, of you hadn't already eaten," she smiled at him.

He put on an awkward expression and mumbled, "Well, no, I didn't eat yet."

"Great. So are you coming, then?" she asked as she walked in the elevator and stood beside him.

"Might as well~" he sang in a sarcastic voice.

Robin slightly frowned as she caught the tone of his voice, but said, "Um, yes. So, what would you like? I'm fine with anything, really. Excluding McDonalds,"

He sweatdropped, but said, "Can we go to IHop? I love it there! I like the pancakes and orange juice and the hot chocolate and the desserts and the coloring menus and…"

As he continued on, Robin giggled softly. "And I REALLY like the omelets with all the meat in it!" he finished, breathing slightly heavily at the end. However, he quickly looked to the side as he realized he just had a total outburst. He scolded himself and noted to try to control himself.

Robin furrowed her eyebrows, "Is something wrong, Luffy-kun? …You're not acting like yourself,"

He took another breath as he had a sense of déjà vu.

"It's none of your business," he repeated, but winced once he realized how harsh it sounded.

* * *

Robin didn't know what was wrong with him. He was acting so…mean. So distant. It was like he didn't want to talk to her. But why?

"…Luffy-kun…I don't mean to sound rude, but this is my business. Is something on your mind? Is someONE on your mind?"

She saw him bite his lip, "No…"

"…Tell me the truth, Luffy," she said softly but commandingly.

"…"

"Luffy," she repeated.

"…"

She sighed, "Come on, Luffy. Can't you trust me?" she frowned as she stood in front of him.

He stared at her and sighed. He couldn't say no to her. "…Yes,"

She nodded, "Well…Is it an it? Or a person?"

"Person," he mumbled.

"Boy? Or girl?"

He hesitated, "…Girl,"

"Why are you thinking of her?"

"…It's a Mystery Feeling…"

Her blue eyes widened slightly; she was suddenly interested in this. _Really _interested. She bit her lip herself, suddenly looking down. She felt embarrassed. Was it…?

"…How does she look like?" she blurted out.

She saw him tense up, the only sound heard was the gears of the elevator.

"…She…She's a little bit taller than me…"

She nodded.

"And has…p-pretty black hair," he stuttered.

She nodded again. She wondered if he could her heart right now. She could hear it perfectly.

"And…and I really like her blue eyes," he finished again, sighing, as he look up, closed his eyes, and put his hand on his face.

She had to resist smiling. "W…What's her name?"

He clasped his hand on his face, his eyes still closed. He sighed again, and looked at the ground.

"…It's…It's…"

Her heart dropped, and she resisted crying.

"…Hancock,"


	20. Suffocation

**So…I'm really, really sorry for not updating for a really, really, REALLY, long time. I'm telling you now, it'll take a while for me to update again. BUT it's because I want to type the rest of the story out before I update again so I can just update everyday…Isn't that awesome? ^.^ But, that won't last very long. It may not seem like it, but we're close to the end of the story. Probably a max of seven more chapters. I think u guys'll like this chappie. I know I did. ^.^ Review, please!**

* * *

She couldn't breathe.

"…Hancock?" she asked, surprised that she didn't stutter.

"Uh…yeah…I didn't want to tell you…because…uh…" he scratched his head.

She looked down, "Yes,"

She closed her eyes, and tried not to let a sigh escape. It was incredibly upsetting to know that Luffy liked someone else, but…Hancock? How could he like Hancock? She thought that he thought that Hancock was…was…what? What did Luffy think of Hancock? He definitely didn't hate her…But wasn't having a crush a little too far of a jump?

The sigh she had been holding in escaped. If he didn't hate her, what stopped him from liking her? She was undeniably beautiful. She wanted to cry. She knew Hancock liked Luffy, and if they ever, ever got together, Hancock would treat her even lower than before. She was Luffy's close girl friend, and she knew Hancock wasn't exactly the most merciful person in the world.

But what scared her the most was…would Luffy do anything about it? Would **any**body do anything about it? Despite she knew how much Zoro and Sanji hated it, Luffy was obviously the 'leader' of the group. They couldn't just cuss-out on his girlfriend, and neither could Luffy himself. Girlfriend. The word disgusted her, considering she was using it for Hancock.

* * *

Luffy stared at her, her blue eyes closed. He watched ever single detail of her. He saw her top eyelid slightly open, the blue in them going on for even longer than infinite. Her pink lips curved into a small frown. He found it interesting whenever she bit them. He loved how her bangs arched before reaching her forehead. How they fell back onto her shoulders, the shine and gentleness seen in every dark, strand.

He sighed softly, satisfied, making her open her eyes all the way, turning her head to him.

"What is it?"

"Nothing…Just…glad to have that off my chest," he smiled at her, closing his eyes so she wouldn't see the fakeness in them.

"I see…" she said in a happy tone, despite the fact her face held no signs of it.

The elevator rang as the doors opened, Robin immediately jumping at the chance to think on her own.

"Robin! Wait! Where ya' goin?" he called, running after her.

"..Why are you following me?"

"…I thought we were going to IHop together," he said, confused, his shoulders slumping.

"Oh, yes…I've…I've lost my appetite. I apologize, Luffy. But…but why don't you go ask Hancock?" she said, quickly turning around afterwards and proceeding to walk away.

"I…"

"Ask me what?" Luffy frowned and sighed, turning around once he saw Hancock, and said unexcitedly, "Hi Hancock."

"Hi Luffy," she sighed, "What is it you want to ask me?"

"Well, I never really wanted to, but Robin and I were talking about going to IHop together, but she said tha-"

"Of course I would like to go with you!" she exclaimed, quickly dragging him by his wrist.

* * *

Robin sat at a table, her legs crossed, her arms folded in her lap, staring at the blankness of nothing in front of her. She blinked like a normal person, but not everyone who passed by her agreed.

"Robin?"

She blinked twice, knowing who it was from the deepness in his voice.

"..I'll take that as 'I'm welcomed,'" Zoro said, sitting in the chair opposite from her. He raised his eyebrow as Robin made no movements, staring right into his eyes.

"Hel-lo?" he said somewhat sarcastically, waving a hand across her face. He gave a sigh, then slowly poked her forehead, finally getting an annoyed, "Don't touch me," with a small, lazy slap on his wrist.

"Ah, finally. Now. What the hell's wrong with you?!" he grit his teeth in annoyance.

Robin didn't say anything, and merely continued with her blinking and breathing.

…

"ROBIN!" he yelled at her making her jump, and slap his head.

"OW! WHAT THE HELL WHAT WAS THAT FOR?"

"You scared me, Zoro-san," she 25% whined, 75% sighed.

"So the first thing that comes to mind is to SLAP ME?"

"…Is that wrong?" she asked curiously.

"Yes. YES."

"Oh…I apologize…I should fix this problem…" she said, closing her eyes, resting her chin on her palm.

Zoro was annoyed with her lack of emotion, despite she was actually talking now.

"So. What's the problem?" he asked curiously, resting his arms on the table as he slightly leaned forward.

"…Nothing."

"You don't become a robot for 'nothing.'"

"Robot?"

He mimicked her actions from a few seconds ago, with a blank face, only breathing and blinking.

…She slapped him again.

"Robin..!" he warned her, closing his eyes, annoyed.

"You scared me again, Zoro-san."

"You don't see me slapping you for doing it!"

"I apologize."

"Psh. For what?"

"For slapping you of course."

"Lie."

"Lie?"

"Yeah. If you're sorry, tell me what's wrong."

"…It's personal."

"There's no such thing as personal. There's this thing people like hiding called 'embarrassment.'"

"Is this embarrassment wrong?" she asked, playing along with him.

"Yes."

She was genuinely surprised. She was sure that her last question would've caught him off guard.

"…Yes? How so?"

"Embarrassment is just nervousness. And how do ya' conquer nervousness?"

"…I…I don't know," she sighed, thinking he was already giving her advice without him even knowing.

"You practice. Like for performing. If you're nervous, you simply do it over and over again, until you've nailed it."

"…"

"So consider this practice." He smirked, knowing he was manipulating her completely.

She sighed, "I…I…" she bit her lip softly, "I…don't know what to do with Luffy…"

"What do you mean?" he asked, resting his head on one palm, tilted.

"He…told me he liked…May I tell you?"

He nodded, interested in the conversation.

"Hancock."

"WHAT?!" he yelled, slamming his hands on the table. "IS THAT BITCH ON CRACK?! ROBIN! GIVE ME YOUR KEY! I NEEDA SEARCH THIS MOFO'S ROOM!"

"Zoro-san I think you're ov-"

"NO! I BET HE ATE STEROIDS CUZ HE WAS PISSED THAT I BEAT HIM IN ASSASSIN'S CREED! CHECK BEHIND HIS X-BOX!"

"Zoro-sa-"

"I BET HE KEEPS EM' IN HIS HAT!"

"ZO-"

"I BET HE AND SHANKS ARE IN THE **FUCKING MAFIA**!"

Robin got up and slapped him, Zoro quickly falling back onto his seat.

"OW! THAT'S GONNA FUCKIN LEAVE A MARK!"

Robin sighed. She was running out of air so quickly.

Suffocation, was a better way to describe it.


	21. Manipulation

**Heyo. I'm so pissed off. My freakin science teacher assigned me a 75 paged essay. 7.5. How RIDICULOUS is that? Twas the same teacher that made me do the presentation. Like how I said twas? ^.^ She's giving us two months. That's reasonable, right…? So, why am I updating? No, I didn't already finish typing out the last few chapters, Actually, turns out there WON'T be a 'last few chapters' yet. So, a guest, (finish the story), made me realize, and also made me mentally slap myself for forgetting major, MAJOR things that contribute to the plot. **

**Um, I'm not sure if some people remembered, but WTF HAPPENED TO LUCCI.**

**Also, I'm completely forgetting about the other side shippings. Which, I need to figure out. I'll take anything but ZoNa. I hate that retarded piece of shit. I'm in for Zorona SaNa and…AceVi…? O.o Do you guys think it'll be too awkward for this story? **

**So, turns out this story'll probably last till the end of summer! YAY! And, I don't think I'll rush the LuRo. I want it to be the very LAST shipping that gets together. So, if you're dying now…Then…I guess you'll just…have to die again or something.**

**XD…OWL POWER! **

** [O.O] **

** |)_)**

** -"-"-**

* * *

Robin sighed for the millionth time that day.

"So…Luffy likes that bi-" Robin frowned at him. "…Witch. I said witch… Just sayin'...Again."

"That's correct…"

Zoro sighed himself, leaning back on his chair. "I honestly don't know what to do. I don't really do crushes." He frowned, "You...should probably ask that love-cook."

"How so?"

He frowned, "…He's a pervert?"

She gave a small giggle, getting up from her seat. "I see…"

"Or…"

"Or?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"You could tell him."

"Tell him…?!" she said in disbelief, as if he said a sacred word.

"Um…Yeah?" he scratched his head, confused on why she was so shocked. "Is that a big-"

"Deal?" she finished, "Of course it is! Zoro," she said, sitting back down, "You don't even know how hard it is to imagine me doing that."

He blinked, "But don't you just have to talk to him?"

"Well, yes, but it's **what **I'm talking about that makes it so hard. I'm telling him what I feel."

"Yeah, but why is it so hard? If I got shot, I'm pretty sure it wouldn't be so hard to yell, "I'VE BEEN SHOT!" He finished, matter-of-factly.

She breathed through her mouth then said, "Yes…But…It's somewhat like letting him read my diary while I'm standing right in front of me…There's so many ways he could react. He could be confused…He could cry…He could laugh," she said, looking down.

"May I suggest, Nico Robin?"

"Who…?" she asked, her eyes widening slightly.

"BASTARD!" Zoro growled at him.

"Hm…Same reaction as a few days ago…Why do you hate me so much?" Lucci asked, leaning on Robin's chair.

"Because you tried to rape her," he said, his eyelids half closed in bluntness.

"Zoro-san…!" she gasped, embarrassed.

"Aww…Why would I want to hurt my little kitty?" he whispered in her year.

"What the hell are you…You…" he laughed, "You don't actually LIKE her, do you? Well, tough luck ya' pigeon freak. She likes-"

"The kid? Yes, I'm very aware of that. But, I want to help you."

"Um, yeah, no." he said, frowning, "What do you take me for, an idiot?"

"Yes."

"HE-"

"Anyways," he said, pulling a chair and bringing it to the table, sitting down afterwards, "I genuinely want to help you."

"What? Why? I KNOW there's a catch and there's no way that I'm gonna let you go anywhere near Luffy. And I'm sure Robin won't ei-"

"…What do you have?" she asked, somewhat glaring at Lucci's permanent smirk.

"Wha…?" Zoro asked, blinking.

"Well…Now that you ask, there is a catch…"

"And you call me an idiot," Zoro muttered.

"Because you are," he said to Zoro, "Again, there is a catch…But…I don't want him to hear it.

"WHAT! Yeah, no. What if the catch is to let you rape her once she gets with Luffy? I mean, Robin, you're smart, but you're still an idiot. I wouldn't be surprised if you agreed."

"Would you stop be obsessed with what's in people's pants?" he asked, annoyed, but not showing it.

"Whatever. The point is, I'm not leaving an-"

"Get out, Zoro."

"But-"

"I'm sorry, but you need to go. Just move two tables down and plug your ears…"

"Robin, are you sur-"

"Yes."

"But I-"

"Out."

He glared to himself, visibly annoyed as he got up, and did as Robin said so.

"Good…Now then…"

"Does it involve sex?" she burst out nervously.

"Of course not…" which made her sigh in relief, "I'm planning on doing that later…"

"What?"

"Hm…Nothing,"

She stared at him before moving her chair back a few inches, "Yes…Go on…"

He nodded, "You see the catch is simple, you just have to-"

"LET ME RAPE YOU!" Zoro yelled from where he was, still 'supposedly' plugging his ears.

Robin sighed, getting up as she walked over to the green haired teen, Lucci watching her. He saw Zoro give somewhat of a shrug before Robin calmly closed her eyes, slapping him. It made Lucci chuckle to see the jock get slapped.

"Damn you, woman!" he cursed at her as she walked back.

"Go on…" she said, looking down at her lap.

"You see, if you two were to start seeing eachother…Eventually, you will also have to stop…Once that happens, I want to be the **first **person to know. You must come straight to me…And no, I will not rape you…"

Robin almost smiled. Almost. She closed her eyes, thinking. What was the harm in doing that? He said he wouldn't…er…but, the problem was, did she trust him enough to do so?

…What was she thinking? She couldn't say yes to this lunatic! He almost stole her first kiss! He hurt her friend! And most importantly, he hurt **her**... But…he's giving her a chance to be with the one that healed her… Luffy.

She didn't know why she mumbled the word, "Yes." right then. She wasn't thinking. No, that was wrong. She was thinking. Of him. Not Lucci, of course. Luffy. So happy, so bright, so funny. So adorable. So Luffy. She smiled to herself, and she could practically feel Lucci's scowl.

"Yes?" he repeated, to which Robin nodded, looking at him, "Perfect…"

"Tell me what you know, now…" Robin frowned.

"Wouldn't you like to call your Cabbage Patch Kid back?"

"Oh…" she looked towards Zoro's direction, "Yes. Zo-"

"I'm comin'!" he said, already getting up.

"So…I guess you agreed?" he asked, still frowning at the man in black.

"Yes…" Robin mumbled.

"Baka," Zoro sighed, even though he knew it was coming.

Robin sighed, too. "Alright…Wha-"

"What the hell do you know you creepy ass stalker?" Zoro growled at him.

"Hm…Well, what if I were to tell you…That this Mugiwara doesn't like whatever her name is."

"Then I would say you're lying." She said, sitting up straight nervously

"No…It is not me that lied…It was him…But, in this case, he had a good vision in doing so…"

"…What are you saying?"

"Well…Let's just say," he said in a sarcastic tone, "I were to…eavesdrop on a certain moron and blond…"

"Sanji-kun?" she mumbled.

"And…The moron of the two…not that they both aren't, said he had a certain 'Mystery Feeling' for a 'Luypem'" he said, making quotes with his fingers. "And," he sighed, "I'm pretty sure…That 'Luypem' sounds far more similar to you, kitty," he said, patting her head only to have it swatted off, "Than some disgusting snake…I've always hated snakes…Hatori does, too." He frowned, then smirked, comically.

Robin almost laughed at his lighter sense of humor. But she didn't.

"…Well," Zoro sighed, "I guess I can sort of see that happening…But I don't believe it."

"Would you like for me to repeat the parts of the conversation I remember? It was only this morning…"

"Psh. Okay," he rolled his eyes, amused.

"I'll start with the blond one… He asked what was wrong, and in response, the kid said things about the Mystery Feeling." He frowned, quoting with his fingers again, "He then confirmed that he only felt this at Certain Times," Quote, quote. "The blond asked what is he thinking about when it occurs, and the kid asked of he had to tell him. The blond decided to be funny, and said, I quote, "Well considering the fact that it seems to be private…yes."

Robin smiled at this, seeing how Sanji would say something like that.

"Then the whole moaning and whining started, with the kid saying "Luypem' over and over and over. Then, the blond claimed that he didn't speak shit, and asked him to translate it to English," he finished, "That's all I remember…"

Robin smiled, while Zoro give a tired one… "Alright…I believe ya'…No one can come up with such a lame insult except for that perverted cook…" he smirked.

"So… What am I supposed to do with this?" Robin asked, staring at her lap again.

"Well, is suggest you go to the blond and ask him to help you…He's the only one that can manipulate the kid right now, since he was part of the conversation."

"I suppose so."

"So, we're playing the manipulation game, now?" Zoro asked.

"Yes," she nodded. "I must go now…Arigatou." She nodded to Lucci, but gave a small hug to Zoro.

He gave a half hearted smirk, "Don't touch me, woman."

"Aww, no hug for me?" Lucci asked once Robin turned around.

She mimicked Zoro's, "No…"


	22. Clearer

**Hey people! So, I'm on Spring Break! Probably more updates, right? :P Anyways, I'm glad people still update. It's so nice…Yeah, nice say a LOT, 'kay? Also, this is going to be in Luffy's POV…Well, not really his POV But ya know his side of the story, and you know what I mean, right? So, yeah… I…don't have much to say. So, lucky you. Hope it's to your liking…So professional…This is probs the fluffiest chapter yet. Well, in a way. :3  
**

* * *

Luffy sighed for the millionth time. My god, was Hammock a blabber mouth. She was quiet as a piece of crap a few minutes ago, then Luffy just **had **to ask about her friends.

"My beautiful, but not as much as me, sisters are my two best friends, though, and…"

He moaned in regret. He should've seriously told her off before the left. Not even his delicious bacon could save him now…He leaned on his palm, frowning seriously. He stared at her, making it seem like he was listening, when in reality he completely zoned out.

Robin seemed upset. She seemed pretty happy earlier in the elevator. That was it. How could he be so stupid?...It happened after he told her that he 'liked' Hammock. But, of course, he didn't. He almost told Robin he liked her. **Almost**. Luckily, Luffy had that rare feeling. What was it called? Oh, yeah. Thinking! He saved it. Wasn't it a coincidence that Robin and Hammock had the same general features?

So. There were three possibilities.

1. She…liked him back? He wished.

He quickly dismissed the thought.

2. She was upset he liked Hammock.

3. She felt dizzy and possibly on the verge of throwing up after she heard him actually say her name right. That didn't even make any sense.

So, she was upset that he liked Hammock? Yeah, that was probably it. I mean, he knew that she didn't really like her. She basically bullied her, and made everyone in her old school hate her, and practically ruined her confidence and social life, and…and…he blinked as his vision became clear again, giving him a perfect view of her rolling her eyes and saying something about how she hated what Nami always wore.

He consciously clenched his fists, frowning. He couldn't believe he just realized…she was such a bitch! The only thing she had was beauty, and in his eyes, she was far from that. She hurt Robin. Emotionally, mentally, and he wouldn't be surprised if they did it physically a few times. She probably made her cry. He clenched them harder. He didn't even want to think about that.

"L-Luffy?" she asked hesitantly, noticing how fists were almost shaking.

"Hammock…" he said normally.

"Yes…?" she said, smiling a bit once she heard the regular tone of his voice.

"…Get lost."

"W-What?"

"Get. The hell. OUT OF HERE!" he yelled at her, making her whimper, while also causing a scene.

"W-Why would you j-just say something like tha-"

"You're a bitch, ya' know that?"

The many people who knew Luffy as 'the idiot who came to IHop a lot' were genuinely surprised. Luffy had always been so stupid. So innocent. So happy and carefree. They had been shocked that he even had the emotion of anger.

She was on the verge of tears. "Oi, oi, Luffy! Why're you yellin' at your girlfriend?" one of the chefs asked.

"She's not my girlfriend." He said, not in a tone that was shy, not in a tone that was denial, but in one of anger, and almost embarrassment that they even suggested that. "I don't even know why she's here." He muttered, staring at her.

"Y-You invited me…What could I possibly have done that set you off these last few minutes, Luffy!?" she asked, trying to defend herself.

And so, for the second time, he growled at her, "You piss me off."

She started sobbing, and ran out of the restaurant, leaving Luffy to stare at her empty seat, panting softly. He turned to the other customers, "..I'm sorry I had to drag you guys into my personal proble-"

The chef that had spoken up earlier started laughing, along with most of the restaurant. He blinked, fixing his hat and pouting, "Nani? I don't get it. I don't get it! What's goin' on?"

"Oh, it's just an inside thing." The chef said, wiping a tear and chuckling.

"Oh. Inside? Then you probably shouldn't tell m-"

"Alright, I'll tell ya'." He said, waving his hand in dismissal of transparent loss. "Ya' see, it's just funny seeing you, an idiot, cuss and get angry."

"HEY! I'm not THAT stupid! I'll tell you I'm actually getting an A in one of my classes!"

"P.E?'

"…Yeah…"

"Do ya' know the teacher?"

"…It's Ace,"

Luffy pouted to himself as the restaurant started laughing again. But, he eventually gave in and chuckled, pulling his hat over his eyes in embarrassment.

"Alright! Imma go now!" he exclaimed, getting up.

"Oi, oi, oi! Where do ya' think you're going?"

"…Back to my dorm…?"

"Wrong!"

"Okay, I'm not THAT stupid. You guys are just being mean now!"

"Well, who's gonna pay for your food?"

"Put it on my tab!"

"You're tab's over four hundred bucks. How do you expect to pay for all that?" the chef grinned.

"Hm…Well, when I'm older…" he started, debating in his head whether or not he should say it, "And when I'm married…" he said, grinning, deciding they didn't even know her, "My wife'll pay for it! I bet she's gonna be famous! I think she wants to be a famous archeologist….?" He trailed off, thinking.

A few people laughed again while the chef grinned, "Yeah, sure. That'll be the day!"

Luffy grinned and nodded, walking out.

He sighed as he walked on the sidewalk, a few minutes away from the school. What should he do about Robin? Why won't she ever talk to him very much anymore? Why's Hammock acting so weird? He paused as he scratched his head, looking at his reflection in a puddle on the floor.

He could've punched himself. How could he be so stupid? It was like a big math problem! Well, that explained why he didn't get it earlier. He liked Robin. Duh. He was pretty sure Hammock liked him. Robin was _terrified _ of Hammock. Maybe…maybe she did like him back? But Hammock just stood in the way? Oh, shit.

He actually slapped himself right then, right there. He just told Hammock off. She must've been really mad. What if…what if she hurts Robin again?...He clenched his fists again. Why was Hammock such a problem?

He took quick breaths as he ran to the school, trying to calm himself down with the fact that everyone else was probably with her…Yeah. She could be shopping with Nami. Or playing with Chopper or Usopp. Or laughing with Sanji. Or talking about smart stuff with Zoro and Franky.

So why was he panicking so much? He asked himself, even though he knew the answer.

He stopped in his tracks, cars passing by, and gave himself a small smile, and clenched his fists not of anger, but in determination. He was pretty sure everything was clear, now. Robin was special. He knew it from the start, even though he thought he would never see her again. She was different, and constantly made him worry. It was clearer, now…he loved her.


	23. Her Answer

**Halo. So, Spring Break's over. Blah, blah, blah. But this past week for me has been perf. Just lots and lots of performing, but whatever. Cheer tryouts were on Friday, and if I were to say, I did pretty bomb. I only have trouble on the hurdlers. I just weely, weely hope I get in again. A LOT of songs by artists I liked came out this week and I gained new respect for Maroon 5. Daylight's probably their best song. According to Ryan Seacrest, it's NUMBER ONE. Ha. So, I'm excited for the story right now, and I just have a LOT to do now. So, I'm torn into doing a lot of things. Including constantly checking to see if I made it.**

* * *

Robin was walking outside. On her way to IHop, to be exact. She felt like she had to apologize to Luffy for acting like such a jerk, blowing him off and such. She sighed, frowning a bit.

"Robin?"

She looked up to see Luffy standing there, scratching the back of his head.

"Oh. Luffy-san. I was just coming to see you."

"...Why?"

"What? I can't come to see you?" She asked as she gave a small smile, trying to lighten the mood.

"Hey! I never said that!" he whined, "It's just that I think it's funny that you came to see me when we live together."

Robin smiled awkwardly at his choice of words.

"Yes, but I would like to apologize."

"...Why?"

"I feel somewhat bad for leaving you. But in a way, I suppose it was a good thing. You went with Hancock, right?" She gave a weak smile, "Where is she, anyways?"

"Oh...Um...well, she left early while I paid…I know lots and lots of people in IHop!" he exclaimed, struggling to cover it up.

"Oh, I see..." she smiled, "We should be going back now, yes?"

"Yeah! I'm really, really hungry!"

"You just came from IHop," she smiled again.

"Yeah, but I didn't eat a lot. Hancock…and me," he added quickly, "Were talking a lot..."

"Oh, okay...May I treat you to something, then?" she said, smiling, but saw her eyes lose something in them.

"Uh, no it's okay!" He smiled, "I'll pay for you! Well, have you eaten anything yet?" He asked, tilting his head.

"Actually, I haven't..."

"Yay! Let's go! I'm hungry!" he exclaimed, consciously grabbing her wrist as he dragged her across the sidewalk.

"Walk a bit slower, Luffy." she slightly teased.

"..Okay,"

She giggled, "I was only teasing you, Luffy."

"Oh...okay," he smiled, and proceeded to speed up again.

She smiled, but furrowed her eyebrows as she watched his hat on his head swiftly bounce with every step he took. So...it was either lying about having a crush at all, or lying about **who** he had a crush on. She was sure it was the second one, if what Lucci said was true. But what a weird catch that was... Lucky, for her sake.

She blinked a bit as she came back to reality.

"So, where do ya' want to go?" he asked, still dragging her.

"Anywhere's fine…" she answered.

"Okay!" he chuckled to himself, "What's that weird Italian place with all the lasagna?"

"…I don't know, actually…I do know what you're talking about, though…"

"Whatever! Let's just hurry!"

"We've **been** hurrying, Luffy-san."

"Yeah, I know!" he grinned.

Robin smiled a bit as she heard him make odd sound effects with his mouth as they ran through the doors.

"I sound like an airplane, right?" he asked, grinning.

"..Sure," she sweatdropped.

He stopped running. "You don't think I sound like an airplane!" he accused, staring at her.

"Well, it's not really the first think you would think of…"

"Then what **was** the first thing?" he asked, tilting his head again.

"Well, I honestly wasn't thinking of what you sounded like when I answered."

"Then what **WERE **you thinking of?" he asked, tilting his head the other way.

"..Nothing, really." What was she thinking of? Of how Lucci's data was supposed to help her whatsoever. But she couldn't tell him that, of course.

"…Liar,"

"Liar?" she repeated.

"Yeah. You're lying." He repeated simply.

"Why would you say that?" she said, and then continued walking.

" Because!" he insisted, catching up and staring at her as she lead them through the crowds, "I can just tell!"

"Well, you're not very good…"

"**You're **not very good at lying!"

"Luffy, there's no need to be so stubborn." She said, stopping and looking at him straight in the eyes, smiling, "Let us go to the Italian place with the variety of lasagnas, yes?" she asked.

He frowned. "Robin. What's. Wrong." He spoke, saying it more like a command than a question.

"Nothing's wrong, Luffy." She frowned, trying to act annoyed, and then walked away.

"You're bad at acting, too." He muttered, following her.

"If nothing's wrong, then why won't you tell me what you're thinking about?"

"Because it's none of your business," she spoke, pretending to look around for the restaurant.

"Is it about Nami?"

"No."

"Sanji?"

"Of course not."

"…It's Zoro, huh?"

"…What makes you so sure?" she furrowed her eyebrows, actually annoyed.

"See! You were lying! Something's wrong."

"What makes you go back to that?"

"Because! You frowned."

"..And?"

"You were 'annoyed.'" he said, making quotes with his fingers.

"What do you mean? I **was** annoyed."

"**No~**" he sang badly, "When you're annoyed, you do that thing with your eyebrows. You don't frown."

She blinked, stopping once again, "How do you know that?" she asked curiously. She hadn't even caught that about herself yet.

He shrugged innocently, "Don't know. Just do."

She shook her head, "I see. Let's just get going now."

He sighed and watched her leave. But he grinned and laughed once he saw the Italian place.

* * *

He talked with his mouth full, "Bay bobbin. Bub is bis bwase cawd?"

"…Luscari's." she said, resting her head on her hand as she ate. How was she supposed to even talk to him when he only talked about food and…Hancock…?

"Oh okay," he nodded once he gave a satisfied sigh.

"Um," she said, getting up, "I think I'll go now."

"What? Why?" he pouted.

"Well…I just have things to do," she said.

"But can't I come with you?"

"No, I'm afraid not."

"…You're leaving me?"

"Yes," she sighed, "I suppose that's how it is."

"Are you going to be alone? I don't want you to be walking around alone." He frowned.

"No…"

"Then who are you going to be with?" She gave a silent sigh. You, I hope, she wanted to say.

"Zoro-san."

"Zoro? …Why?"

"Because I enjoy talking to him," she suddenly snapped.

"...Oh…Okay…See you later," he gave a small, forced smile and gave a wave with his hand, quickly getting up and walking away afterwards.

"Lu-…" she gave another long sigh, her breath wavering as she did so. The sort of waver that happened when you cried and had run out of breath. She didn't mean to sound so harsh, but…The way he said it…It seemed as if he was disgusted with the idea of her even talking about Zoro. He was his best friend, right?

"Robin? What are you doing out here, alone?"

"What's so wrong about me being alone?" she snapped again, not even knowing who she was talking to. She breathed, rubbing her temples. Her temper got the best of her. Her small temper, actually. She didn't really like being called out for twice in a row. It was probably the only thing that could make her snap.

"Because, a beautiful lady like you shouldn't ever be alone."

She recognized the voice and sweet gesture. "I apologize, Sanji-san."

"Yeah, whatever." He nodded, "So, what's wrong?" he sighed, sitting down in Luffy's old seat.

"Why would something be wrong? And why would I tell you? You know I'm not much into sharing…"

"I can just tell," he said, pulling out a cigar. She felt her fingers twitch. "And you'll tell me."

"Why would I do that?"

"Because you can," he said a bit harsher, leaning forward and gripping the chair's arms.

"What do you mean by that?"

"I'm not the 'direct problem.'" He said. "That shitty Mugiwara boy is. Don't even pretend to be naïve, Robin-chan. You and I both know everything that needs to be known. One thing that Luffy didn't notice other than your eyebrows," he said, raising his own to make a point, "Is that you're hardly ever so stubborn."

"…Where's Lucci?"

He smirked, "Long gone, Robin-chan."

"I don't know what to do," she said exasperated, finally collapsing onto her chair.

He breathed out a puff of smoke, "You don't have to know."

"Then what do I do?"

"…I can't tell you that part, Robin-chan."

"I guess I don't need to go to Zoro, now." She gave a tired smile.

He chuckled. "Oh, and hey. On to another subject…Did you ever know a girl named Perona?"

"Yes. Why?" she asked. Perona was one of Hancock's newer members. Surely she would remember anything that had to do with them.

"Well, Mosshead and I were talking. All of a sudden she came up to us crying. She was so cute," he smiled, "But anyways. She kept sobbing about Hancock and evil. Her choice of words didn't surprise me much."

"So what did you do?"

"That, Robin-chan, was when I decided it would be a good time to talk to you."

She smiled, "So you basically left Zoro-san with her?"

"Yeah. Basically."

"Oh, my…You know how Zoro-san has his big share of a temper.

"What do I care? He's a shitty moron!"

She gave a polite giggle, "I think I'll go talk to them. Where did you say they were?"

"McDonalds."

She scrunched up her nose.

He laughed, "Ah, you look so adorable like that. I'm just kidding. They're outside of Starbucks."

She smiled, "Arigato, Sanji-kun."

"Any day, for a beautiful woman like yourself."

"I don't think Nami-san will like you saying that so often."

"…What?"

She gave a sly smile before she walked away, "Nothing,"

He blinked, "What the…?"

* * *

"ABOUT TIME YOU GOT HERE, BITCH!"

She cringed as she listened to Zoro cuss at her…And fight against himself.

"Well, actually, you're not that bitchy as Nami,-"

"BUT HOW THE HELL COULD YOU LEAVE ME HERE LIKE THIS?"

"Well, it was actually that Nosebleed that left me here…So…I'm wrong…Hm…"

Robin sighed as she spotted the pink haired girl sobbing into her own arms that were on the table.

"Zoro-san," she said, "Why is she crying?"

"Eh? Oh. That, er, witch kicked her out of their little group because she was pissed off that Luffy told her to get lost at IHop or some shit."

Her eyes slightly widened. Luffy told her to get lost? He said that they had a great time, didn't he…? She blinked again, but focused on the problem.

"That's what she told you?"

"Yeah. Then I told her to stop crying a river, build a bridge and get over it."

"So?"

"She stopped crying."

Robin raised her slender eyebrow at the teenager. "Then why is she still crying?" she crossed her arms like she was scolding her son.

"Okay, okay, _mother_," he rolled his eyes, "…What was the question again?"

"Why is she still crying?"

"'Cause I told her to fill her mouth with shit. Then, I said, Oh wait. It already is."

She frowned, but a small smile played at her lips soon afterwards. "Zoro-san," she started, sitting on the other side of him. "You can't be so harsh with girls. Or women."

"Neither of you are women." He gave an angry pout.

"True. But still. You never told me those things."

"That's because you're not as annoying."

"Am I annoying at all?"

"Hell yes."

"What do I do?"

"…Breathe."

"How mean."

"Mean'll do."

"Say sorry to her."

"What? No!"

"Zoro."

"No."

"Zoro."

"HELL NO."

"Zoro."

"N-"

"Zo. Ro."

"…Fine." He muttered.

"Wait, wait…One more question. Was she over the entire Hancock conflict?"

"How the hell should I know?"

"Did she look sad after you told her to get over it?"

"I don't know. All you women look alike to me."

She gave a small icy glare. "Yes, yes…Now, apologize."

He growled, "Shut up…"

Robin could practically feel the awkwardness as Zoro, annoyed, poked Perona over and over at her head until she looked at him. She giggled at the look on his face.

"What is it? CAN'T YOU SEE I'M CRYING HERE!" she said in a high, whining tone. "WHAT IS IT WITH YOU AND YOUR STUPID SWORDS, POKING At…at everyone's business?" she finished as she got softer and softer, sniffling, and then proceeding to put her head back down.

"Robin's making me apologize, okay?"

"Robin…?" she repeated like a child, looking up. "EHHHH!?" she said in the same whining tone once she saw the piercing blue eyes of the girl, "THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" she exaggerated even more, making it end up sounding like, "THIS IS YUW FAWT!"

"Ha-ha. Sounds like **you** need to apologize," he smirked.

"Yes, yes, I am highly; aware of that," she brushed off, making Zoro grumble about how it wasn't a big deal for her.

"I apologize, miss, if it so seems that I'm the reason for your trouble." She said, getting up and sitting on the opposite side of the girl. "Apologizing isn't GOING TO GET MY FWENDS BAACK!" she whined louder, causing Zoro to yell at her, causing her to cry even more.

"Zoro-san," she said, looking at Zoro.

"Eh?-OW! What the hell!?"

"Sensitivity is the answer."

"I'm not a sensitive person," he frowned, annoyed, the tone of his voice and the tapping of his foot proving so.

"Yes, I can tell…"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

"Anyways," she ignored, "At least try to act. Girls like guys that aren't stubborn or harsh."

"I don't really care if girls like me or not."

"Well, I suppose that's about to change, Zoro-san."

"Damn woman," he muttered to himself. "Anyways, aren't **you **supposed to be apologizing?"

"I did."

"But she still whining like A BITCH." He directed the last part to Perona in particular, leading to her sobbing louder.

"I said I would apologize. I never said she had to accept. Apologizing is to make **me** feel better. I couldn't care less what the person thinks."

He sweatdropped, "Isn't sensitivity the answer?"

"For you men. It's an all for one thing when it comes to women."

He sweatdropped. "This is why women annoy me. They make up whatever shit they want just so they get the victory," he muttered.

"I believe the correct term for that is…All for one, therefore, I prove my point."

"Well, yeah, but you don't get what I'm saying! This is like the first time you've done something like this so it's weird seeing you act all-"

"No, no, Zoro-kun, what's wrong is that you don't get what's going on. You see,-"

"I don't think so. What I think is wrong is that women even exist."

"A very thoughtless answer for a very stubborn creature."

"No, no, no. You've got it all wrong, woman! This is how it goes-"

"And how does it go?"

"Like this. Now shut up and let me explain. It first started with God. He made two different creatures. Men, and some other thing. You can obviously tell that men are better because he decided to make them first."

"…There's always a rough draft before the final one,"

"I'LL KICK YOUR ASS, I SWEAR!"

"Make sure you do it extra hard!" Perona mumbled into her arm, whining.

"GO TO HELL!"

"WAHHHH! YOU'RE SCARY!" she screamed at his face.

"YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK TO PEOPLE YOU'RE SCARED OF!"

"I WISH YOU DIDN'T TALK AT ALL!"

"WE WERE TALKING ABOUT **YOU **TALKING!"

"WELL NOW YOU'RE TALKING SO STOP TALKING!"

"BITCH, YOU CAN'T INSULT ME IF I'M NOT TALKING!"

"YEAH I CAN! STOP BOTHERING ME! YOU STUPID DOG PARK!" she whined, putting her head back down.

"Capital letters everywhere," Robin mumbled to herself. "And one bolded one…"

"When the hell did you even get here?!"

"About half of the chapter ago."

"That's not what I'm asking," he said, annoyed.

"Zoro-san. You're daring, and you don't think very much. So simply apologize."

"What? I already did!"

"Yes…But that was before you made her cry again.'

"I don't want to do that again."

"Just go on."

"What? I'm a person, God, Robin. I can't just straight up say random shit! What do you think I am, a Shonen Jump character?"

...

…...

…...

"Where the hell did the damn crickets come from?" he muttered.

"Dear Zoro-kun. You see, crickets are born the same just as you and me. It first starts with two crickets getting highly horny. Then, -"

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?!"

"There. What you just said. You see, the term 'Fucking' means-"

"We're in public, Robin." He growled, embarrassed.

"You asked, dear Zoro-kun."

"Don't call me that."

"Ehhh…You two are really annoying." Perona whined, getting up.

"Then what the hell are you?"

"I'm perfect. And I'm a princess!"

"Perfect? Perfectly what, perfectly bitchy?"

"I've had enough of you, you stupid swordsman! You know you're just like that stupid teacher, Mihawk!"

"?! No, no, no, NO. I am not like him. At all. Repeat those words ever again and I'll have Robin slit your throat in the middle of the night."

"Why me, exactly?"

"You'd probably enjoy it more."

"Wel-…..Yes, you're probably right.."

"Whatever! Thanks to you jerks, I don't have fwends anymore!"

Zoro whispered to Robin, "You sure she was friends with them? She seems really…childish to be friends with that witch."

"Maybe that's why they kicked her out." She whispered back. She smiled, getting an idea. "You know, you're always welcome to be our friend."

"I am?"

"She is." He growled more than asked.

"Yes…"

"Since when were you the boss of this group of ours?"

"I wasn't, and am not. Lu…Luffy-san is," she said quietly, "But I don't believe you are, either, so you can't boss me around.

"Maybe. BUT I'm the 'King's' best friend. So technically, I'm the prince or some shit."

"Yeah but Robin's the queen," Perona mumbled.

"How the hell is she queen?"

"Well that stupid kid likes her, so…"

"Why would you say that?" Robin said, trying to hide a smile. If many people said so, the more likely it was to be true.

"Because, Hnacock-sama used to whine about it all the time…She was really annoying, actually," she huffed, "Even more than you two."

Zoro smirked, as a small smile dared to appear on Robin's lips.

"Whatever!" she said, "I'll think about your offer. But don't think that I like you jerks! And if I do agree, you better save the perfect spot for the Princess!" she huffed, getting up, and finally walking away.

Zoro gave a sigh of relief. "About time she left. Right? My _Queen_?" he teased.

"Oh, shush, Zoro-kun," she smiled, fluffing his hair as she walked past him.

"Where ya' going?"

"The library…It helps me think…A lot…And it helps me get over stress."

"Well, good for you. See ya later," he said, lazily holding his first three fingers up for a second to signal she could leave.

She nodded her head to him as she walked away. So many questions were in her head. So many paths lead to different obstacles. So many mistakes lead to failure. She felt like she had so many problems, but one single answer was better then so many false ones. She wanted to deny it, but she couldn't. Her answer…was Luffy.


	24. Sorting Things Out

**Hey guys. I know it's been basically a whole month, but I'm totally ready to start updating way more often. About the length, I can't say how long it's going to be, because again, I'm totally winging this thing. But it'll probably be more than thirty five. Just saying. My life would be completed if I made it to fifty, but before that, I need to do twenty four… Almost halfway.**

* * *

Luffy sat on his bed, bouncing slightly, causing him to hit his head lightly on the other bed from above. "Ohh..." he whined softly. He stared at the bottom of the bed above him. Even from below, he could smell the soft fragrance of her sweet gentle lavender perfume she liked so much. He puffed up his cheeks, furrowing his eyebrows softly.

He was pretty upset that Robin had just…left him, so suddenly. He was having a pretty great time with her. He had a good time when she was merely in the same room as him! He groaned to himself as he let himself fall on the bed, bouncing slightly once more, and then proceeding to adjust his hat so it covered his eyes.

However, he quickly got up again, deciding that sleeping wouldn't do anything. As he opened the door, he sighed, but puffed up his cheeks again, determined to find Robin.

He pushed the lobby button angrily over and over, not knowing why the doors wouldn't close. As he panted dramatically, taking a break, the doors finally started closing. "YES!" he cheered, waving his arms in the air. The doors then started opening, for the fact that Luffy's fist had gotten in it's way of closing. "What? WHAT?! No! CLOSE, CLOSE, CLOSE!" he started immediately started pressing the button all over again.

* * *

Robin flipped a page in her book, completely uninterested. Her. In a book. The book was about WWII, a story that she had read so many times before. She was terribly…terrible. She felt so bored, but her heart was beating at a pace she didn't even know she could achieve, her leg tapping the same exact rhythm.

She spat out the dust that proceeded into flying into her mouth after she had slammed the book shut, placing it aside. She lay her forehead on her hands, panting quietly as she listened to her own heart beat.

Boom..

Boom..

Boom..

BOOM! The large stack of books went as a man dropped them harshly on the other side of the table she was sitting at. She opened her cerulean blue eyes , seeing the table and her own legs, before lifting her head up, already knowing who it was.

"May I ask what you plan on sitting with me for?" she said.

"Nothing in particular, Nico Robin." Lucci said under his breath, sitting down.

"Then would you mind if I moved?" she said, already getting up.

"Yes," he said instantly, making her sit down. "..What are you doing here, alone?" he asked, staring at her as he rest his head on his palm.

"It was my personal option to be alone. I merely felt to need to clear my head."

"Mm...Really, now? The way you looked…it didn't really look so far from your troubles."

"Shut up," she spat, "You, of all people, have absolutely no role in my life. Goodbye." She said, getting up.

"Sit down, Nico Robin." He almost growled.

She didn't know why, possibly out of curiosity, she sat down.

"You haven't forgotten about that little deal we had made, am I correct?"

"No."

"Recite it."

"If something terrible were to happen, you would be the first I go to." She sighed, slightly annoyed.

He smirked, "Very well."

"Yes…Now about that. I've been actually meaning to ask you…How, exactly, does knowing that Luffy may like me help me whatsoever? You surely can't believe I'll try to hit it all headfirst."

"Of course not…I suggest…you try to open up to him," he said, folding his hands neatly on the table in front of him. She raised her eyebrow in somewhat interest, yet confusion. "You see it's obvious to him that he likes you. You just merely need to show some small advancement in interest. There's a slight chance he might make a move, yes?"

"Yes…" she mumbled, thinking as she stared at the space between the two sophomores. "That…might have a chance of succession." she gave a hopeful smile, looking at the man straight in the eye.

"Of course…I did think of it." He said, getting up.

"Where are you heading?"

"Oh, my…It seemed little Robin suddenly has interest in me, yes?"

"No." she said. "But," she sighed, getting up, "Arigato,"

* * *

Luffy's black eyes widened as his fear came true. He felt like crying. She. Was **HIS.** All damn his! He didn't like sharing. At all. ESPECIALLY his meat. But Robin, too, of course. He felt his fists naturally clench as he got angrier.

Why the hell was Robin hugging that damn bastard? Was…was this where she had needed to go when she left him? She was replacing him for Lucci! Didn't she hate him? Wasn't she scared to death by him? The why the hell was she hugging him?! Did Robin like him? Were they already **dating**?! He hadn't really gotten to talk to Robin a lot for these past few days. Was **this** where she had been going?

No, no. He looked at his shoes as he tried to calm himself down. He released his fists as he sat down at a bench near the library – one that was out of Robin's sight. She said that she was going to Zoro. And surely, she would tell him if she was dating Zoro. So obviously, they just talked. They were just friends. The thing was, was she lying?

* * *

Luffy rapidly, repeatedly knocked on Zoro's door with both his fists. "ZORO! ZO-RO! OPEN THE DOOOOORR!"

"WHAT THE HELL DO YA' WANT?" the other teen yelled as he suddenly swung the door open. "Oh, Luffy…It's you." He scratched his head awkwardly.

"Yeah! I need to ask you a really important question." He said seriously.

Zoro sighed, "No, Luffy, how many times have I told you, you **cannot grow. A damn. Bacon tree.**" He started to close the door.

"WHAT!? NO!" Luffy quickly opened the door. "Of course you can! Shanks told me!"

"No, no you can't."

"LIES!"

"SHUT UP!"

"Oh, yeah. Sorry. Anyways, I need to ask you an important question." He said, welcoming himself in as he walked in, sitting on his friend's bed. "I really need to know." He sighed.

Zoro raised an eyebrow. "You seem…depressed?"

"Yup. That's 'cause I am." He gave a tiny smile.

"Wow. This…must be pretty damn serious." He said, sitting down next to his friend.

Luffy sat cross-legged, facing Zoro, "Has Robin been talking to you a lot about…certain things?"

"…Define certain." He said after a while.

"Uh…What does define mean again?" the boy asked.

"Look back on Chapter 17."

"What?"

"What."

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Okay!"

"Define means to explain."

"Oh…Well…Er…Does…does she talk about her friends? Like, us?"

Zoro nodded slowly, "Continue asking."

"Uuugh. Um…Does…she talk about her…enemies?"

"Finish it up."

"Does…she talk to you about who she likes?" he asked quickly.

"Okaay…" he said, trying to act as if he was weirded out. He couldn't tell Luffy that he was always talking to Robin. He would ask why. He would ask what about. He would ask so many questions it would probably drive him mad. So, instead, he said, "Well, Robin and I usually only talk whether we're in class, or when we're all together. Never really talked to her alone. And why the hell would she talk to me about who she likes?" he said, trying to ask that last question in an annoyed tone. Apparently, he was a pretty good actor when it came to it.

"So you guys never talked alone?"

"Never about important shit. Closest was probably when we were in the elevator and you were high from all that meat."

"Oh…oh." He clenched his fists again, this time looking at the bed sheet between the two. He let the news sink in. Robin…was talking to Lucci. A lot. She probably liked him, even. She **was** hugging him. She never even hugged him before, had she? He let out a growl of frustration as he held his head in his hands.

"Woah, woah, Luffy. What the hell's wrong?" his best friend said, getting up and staring at him.

He panted, "Nothing…Just personal problems."

"Woah, woah, woah. No. NO way."

"What?" he looked up, somewhat irritated.

"YOU. No, no. There's absolutely NO way…"

"You're just mocking me, now! TELL ME ZORO!"

"…I'm just sort of debating whether you know yourself or not…"

"I DO! I KNOW!"

"Then why do you want to know so much?"

"BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE THINKING OF THE SAME THING!"

"…Well…what the hell are you thinking of, Luffy?" the teen smirked.

"…... The Bacon Trees."

"WHAT!? YOU FUCKIN DUMBA-…You're lying, aren't you?"

"Why would I be lying?" he said with a blank face.

Zoro gave out a quick sigh, wondering how this kid made it to the eleventh grade. "Alright, Luffy," he said, sitting back down right next to him, "I'll say it really slowly. Ya' hear?"

He nodded.

"Okay…YOU."

Nod.

"LIKE."

Nod.

"RO-"

Nod.

"BIN."

… "NANI!?" He almost fell off the bed. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU SAYING, ZORO?!"

"The truth." He said bluntly.

"Liar! LIAR! I knew you were a liar from the second you said I couldn't grow a bacon tree!"

"Well that's because YOU DAMN CAN'T."

"Whatever." Luffy pouted. "But you're going crazy, Zoro. Robin's just one of my best friends! I'm just taking care of her."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say…" he waved his hand nonchalantly.

"NO! I'm telling the truth!" he exclaimed, waving his hands in the air, "I'd do it for Nami!"

"You **would**. May I remind you that you aren't? Besides, if you were, you wouldn't be doing a very good job…Did ya' even know how close she is to getting a boyfriend?"

"Oh….WAIT, WHAT!?"

"Nothing! Nothing…"

"NO, NO! …ZORO!"

"NO!"

"YOU."

"NO!"

"LIKE."

"NO!"

"NAMI!"

"NO, YOU DUMBFUCK!" He punched the younger boy in the face.

"Ah…It's okay, Zoro…The truth hurts…"

"HA! So, ya do like Robin…"

"Whaaaat~? Noooo…."

Zoro looked at him impatiently, "Shut up, Luffy."

"Okay I like her." He admitted quickly.

Zoro smirked," See, I always win.."

He puffed up his cheeks, "Whatever…You still like Nami."

"WHEN I MEANT NO, I FREAKIN MEANT NO."

"Oh…Then what the hell do you mean!?"

"I **MEAN** _I _don't like the bitch, THAT RETARDED LOVE COOK DOES."

"…But I thought Sanji likes everyone."

"Yeah, may seem like it…But the idiot has fallen into that witch's trap."

"So…she is the Witch of the West?"

"NO!" BAM!

"Wait, wait," he said after his recovery, "How do you know this, Zoro?"

"He told me," he shrugged.

"EHHH?! Why did he tell you but not me?" he pouted.

"He doesn't trust you."

"And he trusts you?"

He sighed, "Luffy…We fight and argue a lot, right? Despite that, I'm pretty sure everyone knows that we're actually really good friends."

"So…he trusts you for that?"

"Yeah…" he smirked, "But the idiot shouldn't have…"

"Shishishi! You're funny, Zoro!"

Silence dawned between them. Luffy let out a sigh, his heart beating rapidly once the conflict came in his sight again. He clenched his fists, determined again. "Zoro." He said sternly. "You can't tell anyone. Especially Robin. Okay?"

His best friend gave a small smirk, "Yeah, yeah. I got it, Luffy…Besides, I don't want to play the damn matchmaker here…"

Luffy nodded happily. "Alright," he said, standing up, "I need to go sort something out…"


	25. Unlocked

**Hai guys! Didn't I say I would SUPER updateeee? Yeah, so here I am. I realize that a lot of people are in different time zones, because SOMETIMES I freakin get waken up at like two in the morning cuz some new chap's been posted somewhere in Russia or something. Errr….Right now I'm in the Hawaiian Timezone. Gonna be freakin COMPLETELY JETLAGGED when I go back to Cali tomorrow. :P Anyways, here's the official (hopefully) halfway mark of this story! YAYYYYY!...If it isn't, I totally wasted a good celebration. This chappie's really just Robin and her gaining confidence and advice from, in my opinion, one the best male characters in One Piece…Omigod. I totally added this right before I posted this. I was SUPPOSED to post this three days ago...but i forgot. And I somehow got to the idea that I did...so...My apologies. ENJOY, THOUGH!**

* * *

Robin was heading one place she knew she would eventually find him – their room. It made her somewhat excited, somewhat nervous that she had actually came up with such a plan…Well, that she agreed to it. Despite her emotions, she walked with her blank unreadable face, as well as her leisurely pace of walking. She certainly didn't want to look like one of those unorganized, sweaty weirdoes.

However, she couldn't help but somewhat impatiently tap her fingers while she was in the elevator.

"Nervous much?"

She looked at the boy next to her, who wasn't even looking at her back. She hadn't noticed he was even there – he was probably standing in a corner…or…something.

His hair was the same shade as hers, and his eyes were a shade lighter than Luffy's, and seemed to have eyeliner below it. He wore a yellow and black shirt with some sort of smiley face on it, and light jeans that had dots that matched the ones on his white hat that was placed on his head. His arms seemed to be filled with tattoos, with one unnoticeable one that spelled 'DEATH' across his fingers.

"I suppose you could say that." She responded, looking at the two doors in front of them as he was.

"Really? 'Was just joking." He seemed to want to end the conversation right there, so she didn't talk to him afterwards.

She walked out of the elevator first, a little bit shaky from the simple thought of doing a single flirt to the boy. She huffed to herself when she dropped the keys from the lock, quickly picking up and simply wiggling it through the hole in no avail to unlock it.

She heard the sound of fingers roll against wood behind her. The boy was leaning back on the door that was on the other side of the hallway, his arms crossed. "Don't mind me. I'm just watching."

She felt her lips curve into a small frown. "What do you mean?"

"You're pretty amusing. Are you really that stressed?"

She sighed. Even a complete stranger noticed. She leaned against her door, facing the boy, "Yes…I suppose you could say that."

"You suppose many things, don't ya'?"

She gave a small, tired smile, "…I suppose so."

A smirk appeared on his lips, "Is it too much to ask why?"

"Not at all…It depends on how you take hearing the personal problems of women. I know some men don't really prefer to hear it very much."

"Personal? As in physical? I'm fine with that. I'm planning on being in the medical field…most likely a surgeon. Your problems won't faze me."

"No, no, not physical." She said embarrassedly, "Emotionally, you could say."

He nodded, "Are you emotional?"

"No, no…Typical female drama, you could say again…"

"…I see…" he sighed, "Well, see you later." He said, opening the door behind him.

"Wait…What do you mean?"

"The female drama. **The** female drama. Very sensitive subject. It'd be better if I just left it at that and not go into this hurricane." He said over his shoulder.

"Alright, then. If you choose to be that way, then go on right ahead. Don't act like you 'men' have a perfect emotional life." She softly muttered, turning around to hopelessly try to unlock the door again.

The boy was still walking to his room, about to close the door behind his back, but turned around once more and stared at her. He gave out a quick sigh, and walked out, closing the door. He walked to the right of her and let his body fall against the wall again, "It seems as though I won't be able to get out of this one…I already said too much to walk out," he said, not looking at her, but his door, "So. What's the problem with you, girly-ya?" He finally looked at her straight in the eye.

She looked back at him, and once more let the key out of the lock, leaning against her door again, the both of them staring at his door.

"I like someone.." she mumbled. He looked at her from the corner of his eye. "And I find it quite hard to tell him. It's a comfortable friendship…And I had yet to see it even coming…"

He let out a sigh of relief, "So it's that kind of problem, eh? Thank god. Thought I'd be standing here for ages, ya."

"Ya?"

"Ya."

She giggled, "Are you saying this to mock me? Or is that a habit of yours?"

"…It's a habit. Hard to let go of, ya."

"So I see. So you like saying ya?"

"And you like supposing. May you continue your nightmare?"

"Yes…Well…I don't know what else I can inform you about. It's all so simple. But all so complicated, as well…"

"What's hard about telling him?"

"Everything."

"No. This. This is exactly why women are very overly complicated. Think about it. What are things that could go wrong?"

"…Well, if we're not in the right place, so many possible things could interrupt…"

"Could. That doesn't mean all those possible things will. Be reasonable, ya. You two are merely talking. You talk all the time, ya. Why would everything go wrong just because of the topic?"

"…Yes…That's absolutely true.."

"What else?"

"Well…his reaction."

"His reaction?...Well, think about this, too. Describe his personality."

"..Oh…Well, he's very kind to everyone. And he's also so innocent. He's straightforward and quite silly, and is always smiling…Everyone knows how contagious it is. He's very adorable…and highly childish. He's always so optimistic and surprises me all the time…Sometimes he's greatly dense…but other times he seems so mature. There are countless ways to describe Luffy."

"Luffy? Is that his name?"

"Yes. Do you happen to know him?"

"Sounds familiar. But not enough for me to know him, ya."

"I see… He seems…like an idiot."

"What?" she suddenly burst. She was very aware that Luffy was an idiot, yes. But the way he had said it made it seem as though he wasn't insulting Luffy, but **her**. "Well, yes…But…He's…" she sighed, "I don't know what happened…I shouldn't feel like this…He's much too simple-minded to realize these sort of feeling anyhow.."

"Forget about him."

"What? I can't possibly do that! I…I still like him."

He sighed, shaking his head, "**If **you like him so much, then why are you doubting him, ya?"

She stared at the floor and shook her head herself, putting her hand to her forehead, and mumbled, "I'm not very good with this love sort of thing, okay? But I'm quite sure that when I need it, I can count on my own judgment. I only have doubts…because…because…of him."

"Him?"

"…Rob Lucci."

"Rob Lucci, ya? I know him. He was my partner in one of my classes. I held a single conversation with him within an hour, ya, and he was a complete pain in the ass." He sighed.

"Yes…" she murmured, "I'm sure that I'm most of the reason why he's here."

"And why is that?" he smirked, knowing there was some actual improvement on the problem.

"He…He followed me here from Enies High School." She looked at her shoes, not wanting to look at him, "He used to love to torture me, along with his friends. Some emotionally, most physically…" she traced a scar on the back of her left shoulder, "I couldn't take it anymore," she closed her eyes, "So I moved here." She held her head in her hands. "And then…he even had the nerve of following me here…"

Silence.

The boy opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted.

"What in the world am I doing here? I should've just stayed back at Enies. Nothing is as different as thought it would be…I'm so foolish…What's worse is…I seemed to have dragged my only friends in a very long time into this whole mess with me…" She looked up, her hot tears on the verge of falling out. "And why am I telling this to you? I met you ten minutes ago."

"…Ten minutes…six hundred seconds…a sixth of an hour…a hundred-forty-fourth of a day… It's all the same thing, really. It's all the same. Talking to me is the same thing as talking to one of your friends, or family. There's no difference, because time isn't a variable in trust…" He furrowed his eyebrows and frowned in concern as he spoke. He didn't know what he had walked into was so serious.

He let his head fall back on the wall so he was looking up, his hat covering his eyes, "Do you hear me, girly-ya?"

"Yes…" she said softly.

"I can't really help you with all this worthless bullying nonsense…But I guess I can at least tell you I'm on your side, ya. However, other than eliminating fears, I can't even help you with your crush nonsense, either." He pushed himself off the wall and lay his hand on the doorknob across the hall, "What's wrong with you. What's the real problem…Is your confidence. You sob when most people should be angry. You're happy when most people would be ecstatic. You hide your emotions too much because you're scared of other people, and it all builds up and takes a toll on you at once…This is why you're stressed…You need to stop worrying, and just live it. Don't plan, or do things like that. Just shut up, and kill it, girly-ya." He looked back and gave her a smirk.

She lay her forehead on her palm and looked at him. "…Arigato…For actually helping me very much. …?"

"Law. Trafalgar Law."

She smiled, "Well then, arigato, Mr. Law-kun."

He shook his head and smiled, "You know where I'm at…Anytime, girly-ya." He opened his door and started walking in.

"It's Nico Robin."

"That's nice," he said, his back facing her, "But I like girly-ya better, girly-ya." He shut the door quietly, leaving Robin to stare at the wood in front of her.

She smiled, and closed her eyes, her mind clear with facts and knowledge of the beautiful world she knew she lived in once more. She let out a deep breath, and for the third time, retrieved her keys from her pocket. Placing them in the keyhole, she opened the door easily, everything, everything, finally, becoming unlocked.


	26. With Me

**Hailo! So, I'm just supa dupes bored, and thought, why not? I hate disappointing people, too…I've only missed one homework assignment EVER. I was in first grade and I faked I was sick so I could go home and wouldn't have to turn it in…Heh, heh….. -.- This chapter's pretty dramatic, so sorry if it's OOC.**

* * *

Robin suddenly jumped from her seat when she heard the lock in the door wiggle. She was reading in her room on the counter in the kitchen, sunlight pouring through the window, making the room humid and the air thick. She bit her lip as he walked in.

However, her expectations failed. He merely stared at her for one second with a blank face, picked up his backpack that was on the floor near his bed, and walked out, the door closing quickly afterwards.

She felt her lips slightly open in shock, her heart aching. Was he mad at her for leaving him earlier? It wasn't that big of a deal, she thought. Was he that type of person? She hadn't known that.

She quickly got up and slammed her book shut. She walked out of the room just in time to put her foot between the two closing doors. She looked at him. He was staring at her foot first, but then looked at her straight in the eye. "What the hell do you want, Robin?"

"What?"

"Why the hell are you here?"

She stepped back a bit, as the doors opened again. "..What are you talking about?" she whispered.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why didn't I…?-"

"How long have you been talking to Lucci behind my back?" he demanded.

"Lucci?" she repeated. "How…how could you have possibly…"

"So I was right?" he said, giving a shrill sigh, covering his eyes and forehead with his hands.

"Why…Why do you seem to care so much, Luffy?" she said, walking in and closing the doors with a button, "Isn't this my problem? I'll face the consequences. This is at my own risk. You don't have to look over me." She said, angrily. "I never asked for your help!"

His hands rolled into fists, as he forcefully put them down, "YOU DON'T NEED MY HELP!?" he quickly calmed down, panting lightly, "You don't need my help," he murmured… "Alright, then." He placed his hat on his hat as the doors opened, walking out, "See ya' later, Robin…" he walked out, quickly getting lost in the crowd.

Robin stared at the wall of the elevator, letting the doors close again. He yelled at her. He screamed at her. He got **mad** at her. She quickly wiped the tear that threatened to come out with the bottom of her palm. She gave a quickly sniff, and pressed the button to her room. She just wanted to cry. She just wanted to be alone. She couldn't cry in public, surely.

It all happened so incredibly fast. She hadn't even comprehended it. She didn't even know what really happened, herself.

Her heart shattered. He didn't like her. He obviously didn't like her. She wasn't sure what to do. Law had told her to be angry, like most people, when she was usually sad…but…normal people would be devastated. So she had run out of road.

She walked out the doors, turning the knob. Locked. And she had left her keys…inside. She shook her head slowly, and rest her head on the door, crossing her arms as she suddenly felt cold. She didn't cry. She was just thinking. Thinking of the sheer misfortune that was her life. She let out a rigid sigh in disappointment.

It's been a little over a week, barely. Within that week she had been happy, scared, excited and now heartbroken. She tensed up as she heard the door behind her open.

"Girly-ya? The hell are you doing out here, now? It's been about an hour, hasn't it? You locked out of your room?" he laughed.

She lift her head up, but didn't look at him. He groaned. "You upset again, girly-ya?"

No answer.

"Look at me."

…

"Come on, now, ya. Look at me."

She lift her hand, and hopelessly tried to open the door, somewhat a signal as she didn't want to talk.

He shook his head, and once again, let himself fall to the right side of her. Her lip quivered. She hate letting people see her as such a mess. "Aww…you crying, again?" he said gently.

She nodded a bit, biting her lip.

"Was it the boy?"

She nodded again, closing her eyes as the tears rolled out again.

He frowned, "Ya' know…I'm pretty sick of this shit. This boy," he spat, "Keeps on making you cry."

"You sound just like him." She let out.

He rest his fingers on his temples. "This boy…What does he look like?"

"I'm not ready to let you beat him up, yet." She gave a small smile, covering her eyes as she breathed.

"And…you still like him," he sighed. "Is he really the way you described him? Or was that how _you _see him?"

"He's like that…" she answered, "You can ask anyone who knows him."

"Luffy…Luffy…" he murmured, "What's his full name?"

"I'm not going to allow you to do such a thing."

"Don't worry. I'm not kick his ass, ya…Not yet, at least. I'm just gonna ask around for him. Who knows how far a girl will lie…"

She smiled a bit, "I'm a very honest person."

"That could be a lie right there…"

She smiled a bit, but tried to cover it.

"Move aside, girly-ya."

"Hm? Why?"

"Just so happens I know how to pick a lock."

"Oh really?" she smiled, wiping her eyes as she tried to clean herself up, "How do you know such bad things, Mr. Law-kun?"

"I told you not to call me that, girly-ya." He reminded. "And," he sighed, "My former best friend, Kidd, was a really bad influence."

"Where is he now, may I ask?"

"Prison." He huffed, bending down and starting to pick at the lock with a paperclip.

"Are you fooling with me?" her eyes widened.

"I wish. He wasn't that bad towards me. I just realized recently what a big waste my last four years have been."

"I'm…sorry…"

"Nah, it's okay, ya. It's done." He said, getting up. "Don't go making worry so much." He said, "It's not really relaxing to know that someone like you could be crying across the hall."

"Someone like me, you say?"

He nodded, giving a small smile, "You're pretty easy to look at."

She smiled, "You know I like someone, Mr. Law-kun." She said, opening her door.

"Can't blame me for trying, now, can you, Nico Robin?"

"You said my name." she said happily.

"I'm not deaf, girly-ya. You're in one of my classes…History, was it?"

She blinked, "Possibly…Shall we find out, tomorrow?" she said, walking into her room, Law keeping the door open with his foot.

"Why can't you tell me now?" he slightly tilted his head.

"It's quite more amusing this way…"

"Interesting lady, aren't you now?"

"I suppose so…Don't you have somewhere to be, not be rude."

"Offense taken. But nowhere serious. However, I can tell you really don't want to talk to me anymore, so I'll go."

"No, no..! That's certainly not what I meant-"

He laughed, "I'm just kidding you, girly-ya…Nice place you got here." He chuckled, walking in and sitting on the bottom bunk.

"That isn't my bed. I'm not sure if it's very…appropriate…to sit on it…" she bit her lip.

"Ah, I'm sure she won't mind." He said, laying down, his arms behind his head.

"It's…not a she…" she murmured.

"Ha-ha." He rolled his eyes.

"It's Luffy's."

"What?!" he got up, and hit his head on the other bed.

She winced, "Yes…it's hurts…"

"No, no, not that, you idiot." He said, standing in front of her, "How could you not tell me? This sort of changes everything I've been telling you.! He hasn't tried anything, has he?" he said in a hushed voice.

She shook her head innocently, and bit her lip, "I apologize…I just…don't like sharing that with many people…"

"I can see why," he mumbled.

"Everything's so confusing." She sighed, sitting on the bed herself.

He followed, and sat next to her.

Silence once more.

She nonchalantly lay her head on his shoulder, breathing, "Do you ever get hot wearing that hat?-"

The door swung open quickly, the other roommate standing there.

…

"Robin…" he mumbled.

"Yes..."

"…Who the hell is the guy? And why, the hell, is he, on my bed?" he growled.

"He's my friend." She frowned. "And he's talking to me, since you never seem to be around, anymore."

"Me? Me. Robin. Both of us know what a liar you are."

"Is this the Luffy?" Law asked, peering at him as he leaned on his knees with his arms.

"What the hell are you talking about? What did you tell him, Robin?" he demanded.

"Don't tell him anything and I won't, either." He whispered to her.

She nodded.

"Why did you nod." He said, more than asked.

She didn't answer.

He closed the door softly and sat down next to Robin, leaning over the same way as the other male in the room.

"What happened to you, Robin?"

"Nothing happened, Luffy." She answered as she became tense. "You just don't understand."

"Understand what? That you're a big backstabber?"

"Hey, hey, now, you can't just casually call her-"

"Shut up. This isn't your room. I don't even know you."

"That doesn't mean I have to listen to you."

"Alright, then." He murmured for the second time that day. "But I don't care about you. You never objected." He said, "So…you're not a really nice person, are you?"

"What…what do you…-"

"I thought you were my best friend."

She felt the tears in her eyes already. He thought. Therefore, she wasn't.

"I thought so too." She mumbled.

"You're lying again, aren't you?"

"No, no I'm no-"

"YOU LIED TO ME!" he screamed at the floor, making the other two jump.

He gave a quick sigh and got up, leaning against the top bed. "You're a liar." He said, placing his hat over his eyes…She was beautiful, she was perfect. But she was so complicated to handle. Robin _was_ his best friend. And she _was_ a liar. There were so many other things she could've lied to him about, too. He opened his eyes, looking at the strings of straw that made up his hat.

"Why did people always hurt you, Robin?"

"…I-I..I…I never real-"

"Did you act like this, before? Constantly tricking people for yourself?"

"L-Law, please leave."

"I'll talk to you later," he said quickly, heading for the door.

"Because if you did…"

The door opened.

He gave a dishonest smile, "Then maybe…Maybe you deserved it."

She didn't know what happened, after that. She heard a few words, but nothing mattered. "Luffy." She said his name with the last bit of breath she had, before a single tear slid, followed by many others.

Before he left, looked at him straight in the eye, "Oi, mugiwara…You're a pathetic jackass." He slammed the door shut as he left.

What had happened slowly settled in.

His hands rolled into his fists again as he said clearly, "Robin…Robin, I didn't mean it. I didn't mean it all. I was just mad. I'm sorry..I didn't mean it."

"…I think you did, Luffy."

He slammed his hat on her head, but was then immediately thrown to the floor by the girl. "Why did you come here? I already told you I don't need your help.! So why did you come here?" she demanded, getting up and putting her hand on the knob. "Don't talk to me, Luffy. I…I hate you."

She opened the door to walk out, but was turned around harshly, her wrists grabbed. "I don't care if you hate me or not…Just don't walk out the door…"

"Why not?" she whispered angrily to him.

He loosened his grip on her as he let his forehead rest on hers, "I don't care if you hate me or not...I don't care if you lie to yourself…Just don't lie to me anymore."

She softly clenched her teeth as she started crying again.

"Don't tell me anything anymore…" he said to her softly, "Just stay here, with me…"


	27. My Cinderella

The sunlight was brighter. The sun was lower. However, the angle was perfect. The sun rays burst thorough the window, silently loud. The room had a tint of orange everywhere.

They stood in that position for some time, the only sound heard was their own breathing. She could feel his face coming closer. She scarcely felt his nose, tilting. She could feel his lips a millionth of an inch away.

"Luffy…" she breathed, "Don't do this."

His tilting stopped. His advancement stopped.

"Don't do what?" he whispered back to her, his eyes closed.

"…Don't make me say it."

"Then don't walk away."

"I won't."

She heard the door behind them shut. She was somewhat nervous, knowing that anything could happen. She knew how close she was to getting him. They next time they walked through the door they could be together. But she didn't want it to happen like this. She wouldn't know if he really liked her…Liked her as much as she liked him. For all she knew, it could be a spur of the moment thing.

She let out a breath and slowly tugged away from him. She opened her eyes and sat on his bed, closing them again as soon as she sat down.

She heard his footsteps as he followed, she heard the sound of the mattress as he sat next to her, she felt his denim shorts against her legs.

"I can't believe you let my hat touch the floor." He half-heartedly whined. She heard him pick it up and put it back on his head.

She put on a small, struggled smile as she shook her own head.

She opened her mouth to say something, but quickly closed it.

"Neh..Robin?"

"Yes?" she spoke quietly.

"…Could you tell me what's going on, now?"

She wasn't sure if she should. She opened her blue eyes and stared straight ahead, seeing from the corner of her eye he was, too.

She opened her mouth again, but was interrupted.

"Nevermind. Don't tell me anything."

"..What? Why not?"

"Because, I don't need to know. It's your business. Anyways, I trust you, now."

…

She let out a giggle, wiping her cheeks afterwards. "Don't you think it would've been well for you to realize this all earlier."

She could practically feel his Luffy-grin.

Her heartbeat slowed. She was glad everything was becoming more casual. More fun. "Neh, Robin…Wanna play the game when we close our eyes when we talk?" he asked.

"…Yes, I suppose so."

"Okay!"

They both closed their eyes, Luffy smiling softly, Robin more in concentration.

* * *

His heart didn't want to shut the hell up. It kept punching him. It was annoying. He quickly opened one eye soon after they closed them. He inwardly giggled, but outwardly smiled. Robin was so funny. Even _he_ knew there was no such thing as the close your eyes when you talk game.

He looked at her from the corner of his eye as she spoke up, "Would…Would you like to stay here for a while?"

He smiled as she saw her nervousness on her face. "Sure." He answered simply, but happily. He lightly chuckled as he saw her calm down.

She was so damn pretty.

His heart was probably kicking his ass right now. He felt incredibly hot, for some reason. He didn't feel hot earlier.

"Ehhh…I feel so hot." He whined, "Can I take a time out and open the window or something?"

"Why don't you just turn on the fan?"

"It doesn't feel the same."

"Do both."

He nodded, not realizing she had no way of seeing it.

He sighed, satisfied, as he sat down next to her again, a good amount of wind hitting the two.

He closed his eyes as he relaxed. His heart was taking a break from exhaustion.

He opened one eye to look at her again. Dammit. His heart was at it again.

She looked even _prettier_, now, the wind softly blowing her hair across her face.

"I apologize, Luffy…"

"Hm?" he asked, facing her with both his eyes open, "What for?"

"For making you feel upset. This all seemed to happen because I was too embarrassed to tell you what was going on."

He blinked, "Embarrassed? Of what?"

He relaxed his shoulders as he saw her tense her own, trying to read what was written on her face.

"Nothing."

"What? You tell me this much but you won't tell me the rest?!" he exclaimed, but quickly calmed down, feeling uncomfortable for yelling at her after all that had just happened.

"I thought you trusted me." She reminded, opening her eyes and looking straight into his.

"I do. But this is out of churnitosity."

"Do you mean curiosity?"

"Yeah! What did I say?"

"Nothing…" she mumbled.

He frowned, "Robin! Tell me!"

"I don't have to tell you anything."

"Stop being so stumpwort!"

"Stubborn."

"Whatever." He pouted, annoyed, "Just tell me! This is how everything started! _I _told _you _everything!"

"Like what?"

"Like about my bruises! And my…mystery feeling," he finished quickly.

She looked away.

"Robin? Are you okay?" he frowned again. "Do you have a mystery feeling, too?!" he said, his eyes wide.

This was supposed to be teasing. Supposed to.

"W-Well…Yes…" she murmured.

"Wait, wait…EH!? How come you couldn't tell me? When did this happen?" he asked, clenching his fists again but releasing them once he realized she was right there.

"I…I don't know." She bit her lip, still looking away. Shit, she screwed up.

"Well? Who?" he tapped his fingers impatiently.

"…"

"Is…it…" he paused, thinking, "…Franky?"

"Of course not." She said almost immediately.

"Sanji?"

"No."

"Zoro?"

"No."

"…Lucci…"

She looked at him incredulously, "What? Never. That's utterly fowl to even think about."

He gave a small smile at her, nodding. He was damn relieved.

"…Was it that guy?"

Robin hesitated in answering. It seemed like the last option he was going to give her. Well, it was the last option even she could think of. She thought about the idea. Law-kun wasn't unattractive in any way. However, she thought of him as more of a friend. But…that _was_ what she thought when she had first met Luffy…No, no…She liked Luffy. Period.

"..Don't tell anyone, please." She mumbled, trying to act embarrassed.

"So it was him?" she nodded, looking at the floor in front of them.

"Oh…Who was he, anyways?"

"I just met him…He lives across the hall."

"Across the hall?" he repeated, his eyes wide as he looked in the direction she meant.

"Yes.."

"What's his name?"

"Trafalgar Law."

"Traffy-Taffy what?"

She giggled lightly at the additional name he said.

"Trafalgar Law."

"I'll just call him Traffy-guy."

"No, no. That's quite rude."

"But it's hard!"

"Very well. I will teach you. Listen."

"Okay!"

"Tra."

"Tra."

"Fal."

"Fal."

"Gar."

"Gar."

"Law."

"Law."

"Trafalgar Law."

"Traffy-guy."

She shook her head as she smiled at him. "What must I do to get it through your mind?"

"You can't! I don't do stuff I don't want to do!"

"Why don't you want to learn?"

"I know it's gonna be hard." He whined.

"Fine. I suppose you win."

He smiled again.

"Don't you want to play your game with all the jumping and killing?"

"What? No! I need two whole days to catch up with you on! I can't miss a single second!" he exclaimed, jumping up slightly and facing her as he did so.

She smiled at him sadly, but enough for him to notice. How she wanted him. She could've sworn there was some sort of nicotine coming from him.

"Alright, then…What do you want to know?"

* * *

She politely giggled as he continued on loudly cracking up as the two of them walked out of the elevator. It was about half past seven, and it had been around five when the two of them made up.

"You honestly asked Zoro-kun if you could grow a bacon tree?" she asked, smiling at him.

"Yeah!" he nodded, "But he said there was no such thing," he pouted, but moved on to exclaiming, "But Shanks said there was so it HAS to be true!" He pulled down on both sides of his hat.

"Of course there is." She giggled again, "But…May I ask you a question?"

He looked at her expectantly.

"Would you please remind me on what we're doing out here?" she asked, as they stopped in the middle of the Lobby.

"What? What're you…Ohhh…I don't know!" he grinned.

"Oh, I see…Let us go back to the dorm, yes?"

"Uh…Can we get some meat, first?"

She smiled, "Very well."

"Yes!" he cheered, attracting people's attention quickly.

"_Now _let us go."

"Yosh! _Now _let us go!" he repeated, smiling.

She smiled to herself as they walked through the crowd. She was almost an hundred and one percent sure that they were best friends again. But, no matter how happy she felt…That second when he was right there, a millionth of an inch away…She suddenly felt unsatisfied. She kept the conversation going, "What restaurant?" she averted her eyes to him.

"Uhh…What place sells lots of meat?"

"Well, there are sandwich shops with certain meat specialties. …"

"Ohhh~!"

"And simple fast food places with hamburgers…"

"Ohh~!"

"And…steakhouses."

"STEAKHOUSE!" he pumped his arms in the air. "STEAKYHOUSE HANDS DOWN!"

She smiled again, "Alright. Steakhouse it is…Now, hands down."

"That's what I said."

"No. Put your hands down. Literally."

"?..Oh, I see! Shishishishi!" he chuckled.

"However," she started as they began walking once more, "There are no steakhouses in the school…We'll have to go to one outside. Would you like to take the bus?"

He shook his head, "Nope! I'm in the walking feeling! And the longer it takes to get there, the more time I'll get to talk to you!"

She gave another sad smile, "Yes…Let's," she sighed, "…Let's just make sure we get back by ten thirty."

"Aww…Can't we come back at twelve?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Why not." He said bluntly more than interrogating.

"Because. We have school tomorrow, and it's quite bad to wake up early when you haven't gotten the right amount of sleep – or wake up late and have a fair amount of it."

"Why can't we just skip school, tomorrow?"

"Because I can't. I very much dislike the idea of ditching, whereas we could be learning more about this world we still have yet to truly discover…"

"Woah… That's some real smart people stuff, Robin!" he grinned, "But I like twelve o' clock. It always has that dramatic _DING!_ in the movies!"

"I'm sorry, Luffy, but no. I'm Nico Robin – I haven't ever missed a single day of school and I don't intend to start tomorrow."

"Then why don't you _not_ be Robin?"

"What are you implying?" she smiled and looked at him from the corner of her eye as they walked out the doors to the cold air, the boy staring back at her the same way.

"I'm saying that tomorrow, we should pretend to be different people! Isn't it great!? We won't have to go to school! NO SCHOOL, NO SCHOOL!" he chanted and cheered.

She smiled at his enthusiasm.

That close. She was that close to having all of this in front of her. However, she said, "That would be quite thrilling, wouldn't it?"

"Yeah! See! Let's do it!"

She shook her head, giggling, "It seems like you're not going to let go of this, are you, Luffy?"

"Nopes!"

"Alright…If you find an appropriate identity for me to temporarily hold…I'll agree. But it has to be perfect."

"Yosh! That'll be easy! Shishishishishi!"

"Alright…Your ideas?"

"…Do you want to be Robin?"

"I thought I am Robin."

"No, no, like Batman and Robin!"

She laughed, "No thank you…"

"…What about Robin from that old show…er…Oh! The Teen Titans!"

"That's the same person."

"It is?"

She nodded.

"OHHH~! That makes so much sense!" he whispered to himself.

She smiled. "Either way, I wouldn't want to be a boy, Luffy."

"Oh, yeah…Mmmm…" he thought, humming.

"Think, Luffy…"

"Mmm…!"

….

"MMMMMMMM!"

…

"I GOT IT!"

"Oh really?" she smiled, amused. "What dubious suggestion do you wish to propose, now?"

"Okay, okay! Are you ready?"

She nodded, giggling as they walked on the sidewalk.

"You sure?"

She nodded again.

"You _SUPER!_ sure?" he asked, imitating Franky's tone.

"Yes, Luffy." She giggled again.

"Okay, okay!" he smiled excitedly.

…

"Well?"

"Wait, wait! I'm getting ready!"

…

"Okay….Do you."

She looked at him.

"Want to."

She put on another sad smile.

"Be."

If only.

"My Cinderella?"


	28. Even Better

**Haii! So, you probably notice that I skipped this part the other time, to somewhat capture the mood better, I guess. Anyways, me and my friend were realizing something when we were thinking about the different arcs, and we noticed something that somewhat scared us. But not **_**actually **_**scare scare us. You know what I mean, rite? Anyways ya' might've noticed this, but we realized that each arc in the New World so far has the same concept as the ones in the beginning of the show. **

**Like for example, in the VERY beginning, it was all The East Blue Saga blah blah blah getting the crew together blah blah blah. The Sabaody Arc after the timeskip is fairly similar. Afterwards, they went to Cocoyashi Village, an arc that revolves mainly around Nami and fishmen. Cough, cough, FISHMAN ISLAND SAGA cough… THEN, it was the Alabasta/ Baroque Works Saga. There, Luffy fought the main bad guy, Crocodile three times. In Punk Hazard, he fights Caesar three times, too. And they're both Logia Fruit users, they also gain an ally in each arc (Vivi;Law), Smoker & Tashigi are both involved in both arcs greatly, and there's some sort of false villain or whatever (Robin;Monet). I also think there was a part somewhere in Punk Hazard where Robin was mentioning the irony of Luffy & Smoker in a cage again. I might've been drunk or something so whatever. If I'm wrong, (which I'm hoping I am,) go ahead and say so. Cuz I haven't read the Pirates Alliance Arc yet, but if it's anything like Skypiea…Don't ruin me, please. Soz for the babbling. :P**

* * *

"…"

"…."

"….."

"…Dot dot dot dot dot dot." He said.

"What?" she asked, trying to rid of the question.

"Whaaat~?" he sweatdropped.

"Terrible liar." She mumbled to herself.

"EHH?! JUST CUZ' YOU SAID IT TO YOURSELF, DOESN'T MEAN I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

"Obnoxious." She said to herself.

"STOP IT!"

"…"

"Hm? Oh, Robin. You never answered my question. Do you want to be Cinderella or not?"

"…Why did you pick Cinderella?" she asked him, fumbling with her fingers softly as they continued to walk down the sidewalk near the busy streets.

"Why? Why not?" he grinned, "You said you wanted to be a girl. And we're going home at twelve!...That's how the story goes, right?" he asked as he looked at her, tilting his head.

"Yes…" she said, sighing, relieved, afterwards. Nothing much of romanticism. It was all simply Luffy being the awkward little weirdo he was.

"Uhhh…" he blinked at her.

"Hm? Oh…I…I don't really kno-"

"Please?"

"But, but Luffy…I've never exactly missed a day of-"

"PLEASE?"

"Well, maybe, but I-"

"PLEEEEEASE!?"

She sighed, shaking her head. She gave a soft smile, "I suppose you've won again, Luffy."

"YAY!" he cheered.

She looked at the lines where each square of cement broke as they walked across the floor that had been stepped on millions of times before them.

"Hey, hey! Hey Robin! What're we gonna do after the steakhouse? Because even though I LOVE eating meat, I don't take…uh…um…Wait, wait, don't tell me!...Um…Oh! 5 hours!" he exclaimed.

"Well, whatever you wish to do."

"What about you? What do you want to do? We always do what I want. That's not fair!"

"Yes, well, I have a reason behind that. I have the ability to adjust or adapt or tolerate anything. You wouldn't last a single moment of reading on your own will."

"…I only get the last sentence but since it's true, I'll stick with it!" he grinned, "Afterwards, can we go just go places?"

"Places? Would you care to explain more?"

"Anywhere! Like the movies or stores or the taco truck!" he exclaimed, bouncing a bit with excitement.

She smiled, "I suppose that'll be a rather fun time."

"Yay!" he cheered again, "Steakhouse movies shopping taco truck fairytale night!"

"All in five hours." She said to herself.

"Yup! Hey, Robin! If you're Cinderella does that mean I get to be the prince?"

* * *

"…I'm not going to answer that, Luffy."

The boy gave a satisfied sigh as the two walked out of the steakhouse, his incredible metabolism at it again.

"That was good, huh?" he asked her.

"Yes, it was quite delicious."

"Mhm!"

"You actually have a tab, there?"

"Yeah! They told me that it's around $500, but I think they're lying!"

"How many times have you been there?"

"This is my third time!"

"Well, that's reasonable considering the fact that you ordered everything that had the word 'steak' in it."

He laughed, "Shishishishi! I guess so!"

She gave the same smile she had given him at least five times that night. How she wished he could be…hers.

However, this time was different. This time, he caught her. He looked at her and blinked, and then put on worried expression, "Robin? Are you feeling okay? You're making a sad face."

"Ah, yes, Luffy…Everything's perfectly fine."

"You're lying again, Robin! What's wrong?"

"…How are you able to read me so well?"

"I don't read you, Robin. It's kinda like I feel it or something. I know whenever you're sad, because when you are, I feel sad, too." He put on a pout to make a point.

"That's very nice to hear…"

"I know. It was nice to say, too!" he grinned at her, which resulted in another one of her upset smiles.

"Neh, Luffy? Is it fine with you if we were to go back, now? I do feel incredibly tired…"

"Oh. Was that it? But Robin, if we go to sleep now, we'll have enough sleep to go to school tomorrow!"

She shook her head stubbornly, not listening to what he had to say. She had good amount of pain in her head, now.

"But Robin-"

"Fine, fine Luffy! We may skip school tomorrow, too, if you wish, but please, may we go back?" she asked somewhat desperately as she held her head. This wasn't a migraine. It felt worse.

"Robin? Robin! Are you okay?" he asked her as held both her shoulders from behind her, looking at her face.

"Yes, yes…Just…a headache." She nodded, despite the fact her eyes were closed.

"Oh…Does it really hurt?"

"It's most likely the worst I've ever had.."

"OMIGOD ARE YOU GONNA DIE!?" he cried, panicking.

She put on a smile, "No, Luffy…Just…Let's head back now."

He stared at her sadly, but nodded. "Are you really okay?" he asked seriously as he started to guide her along the sidewalk from her hand.

"Okay as in the long run. Yes. Okay is in capably…No…It hurts far more than anything Lucci's done to me."

"But I thought they hurt you a lot." He frowned as he slowed down, still holding her hand as he walked backwards.

"Yes, but…It simply does. It's indescribable."

"Poor Robin." He said sadly to her as he gave a calm, quick glance behind himself to see where he was going.

"Yes, I know…" she mumbled, "But don't give me much pity, Luffy. I'm not fond of pity."

"What's pity?"

"When you feel sorry for someone." She said quietly again.

"Oh…But…!" he quickly balanced her again as she started to slightly lean over, "But it's hard to not feel sad."

"A headache isn't a very good reason to feel upset. The only person that should feel so…sad, is whoever's actually feeling it." She said.

"Oh…" he gave a stubborn, low, hum, "I don't really care about words and words and English and school, so I'm not going to listen to pity!"

"…"

"Hey, hey! Robin!" he whined, "Stop leaning over! You almost fell down four times!"

"You're being fairly loud, Luffy." she winced softly.

"What? Oh, sorry." He whispered.

She nodded, "And I apologize for…falling. It's hard to see and control myself when I'm closing my eyes."

"But I'm still holding your hand." He said, confused.

She almost felt like smiling. She hadn't realized what he had been doing until he had just said it plain as day. "Yes, but…A single hand isn't enough to over power all of my balance." She explained, a jab of pain suddenly spreading in her head.

"So my hand's weak?"

"No, no…From the way you punched Lucci you hand is certainly not weak."

He smiled. "But, it's just something that's hard to fight when…when I don't have anything to support me.."

"You need support?"

"Yes.."

"…"

"…GO, ROBIN, GO! GO, ROBIN, GO!" he cheered for her as he pumped both fists in the air, but quickly grabbed her shoulders when she started to fall once more.

"Not support like that, Luffy." She opened her eyes halfway and gave him a small smile, "Support as in something to lean on.."

"Oh, um…" he scratched his head. "Okay, stop walking."

"Why? Are we here, now, Luffy?" she opened her eyes slightly.

"Nope! I'm just gonna give you support!" he exclaimed, grinning.

"No, no Luffy you don't need to do tha-"

"No, it's okay!" he shrugged it off, oblivious to what she meant.

Her chest instantly tensed as he pulled her towards him. "Luffy you don-"

"No, it's okay!"

She furrowed her eyebrows sadly as he put his arm around her neck. "Luffy, please, you don-"

"No, Robin! It's okay!" he whined again, tugging her one last time so her head slightly leaned on him.

"…"

She was incredibly uncomfortable. However, it almost seemed to make her headache go away. Almost. They stood there, silently.

"This is support, right?"

"Yes.." she mumbled as she let herself rest on him, closing her eyes. "Arigato."

He grinned, "I told you it was okay."

"Yes…I suppose it's fine."

"Does your head still hurt?"

"A lot, still, but it's far better now."

"The support!"

"Yes, the support…"

"Do you think you could open your eyes now? It's gonna be hard to walk like this if I have to drag both of us!"

"Yes, I can."

"Okay!" he nodded and started walking with her, her head still resting on his shoulder.

She was smiling now, but she couldn't possibly tell him that. To them, they were just friends. But now that she thought about it, every car, every person, every pair of eyes that went by them, probably saw them as a couple. Her smile grew, thinking of that.

"Robin?"

She almost didn't recognize the voice, since it lacked the usual nickname, but the slight accent he had made it clear.

She quickly broke away from her friend's arms, the pain going away and being replaced with embarrassment.

"Law?" she asked turning around the face the other boy, a visible, deep frown on his face.

"What're you doing out here?" he asked sternly, in an almost upset tone.

"Just…walking. Just taking a quick walk."

"Didn't seem quick to me." He crossed his arms.

The way he spoke made her feel like she was cheating on him. Well, technically, from what she told Luffy, she was.

"How long have you been behind us?"

"Just now. I was walking out of a store, next thing I know, you're passing by, all over mugiwara here." His tone seemed serious, but she could hear the subtle teasing in it.

"Isn't that Traffy-guy?" Luffy murmured to himself.

"Just 'cause it's a personal note doesn't mean I can't hear you."

"Tell that to Robin!" he whined.

"Don't insult her."

"I WASN-"

"I don't need excuses."

"I don't need _you_ to be here!" Luffy huffed.

"Luffy!" Robin frowned.

"What? It's HIS fault!"

"It doesn't matter. That's rude, Luffy."

"…Okay. I'm…gonna go back now, Robin."

"What do you mean?"

"I'm gonna go back." He repeated simply. "I'll meet you there!" he grinned, "Go get 'em!" he whispered to her before walking away, the usual bounce in his step still present.

"What does he mean by that?" Law asked from behind her.

"By what?" she asked, 'confused.'

"By go get 'em."

Damn. He heard that.

"Well…Law-kun…I…There may have been a chance that I told him that I liked y-"

"Why." He asked bluntly.

"Because...! He knows when something's wrong. And I can't lie to him…Straight to his face, at least. I only lied about _who,_ anyhow…"

"Girly-ya…" he sighed, "…You know you'll never be good enough to get _this_, right?"

She let a small giggle out. "Yes, yes, Law-kun…Whatever makes you happy…"

"Yeah, yeah, girly-ya…What happened between you two?" he smirked, crossing his arms tighter.

"Nothing…I just had a headache…That's all…"

"I don't see you having a headache."

"Well…it went away when you arrived…"

"Yeah, right." He scoffed.

"I'm telling the truth." She smiled.

"Whatever." He rolled his eyes and smiled. "Now…Go after him."

"What?"

"Go after him." He repeated like Luffy did earlier.

"…What?"

"Maybe I should make it easier for your female mind."

"…What?"

"Go run into his arms, girly-ya."

"What?" her eyes slightly widened.

"Now you're just annoying me. _GO_."

"Where are you going to be?"

"Hmm…About three minutes worth of walking behind you. Now go. I can slightly see his red shirt from here."

"…Alright. Arigato, Law-kun."

"Yes, yes. Now go, Cinderella."

"What?"

"What." He repeated.

She blinked before simply nodding, and quickly walked away. She didn't like running when it wasn't necessary.

* * *

"Luffy," she lightly panted as she approached him.

"Eh? Oh!" he smiled brightly once he saw her behind him.

He wasn't really happy at all when he told her to 'go get 'em.' He didn't want her to get _him_. He wanted her to get him. She was _his_ Cinderella, right?

So, yes. He was incredibly happy she decided to walk with him right now instead of Traffy-guy.

"Hey, hey! Robin" he patted her shoulder quickly, getting her attention, "What happened?"

"Oh…Yes, well, we just had a conversation for a while…And he was being nice…But…I'm not sure if he likes me or not…"

He obviously didn't know she talking about _him_.

"I'm sure he does!" he grinned brightly.

"Yes, yes…But how would you know?"

"Just 'cause!"

"That doesn't make any sense. Are you merely guessing?"

"I don't guess! I _feel_. Duh!"

"And what do you feel?" she looked at his eyes, smiling expectantly.

He blinked at her, and then scratched his head, "Uh…Why are you staring at me?" He tried to shrug off the awkwardness.

She inwardly frowned. Him feeling off gave her an advantage. "Because. I'm expecting an answer." She said as it was obvious.

"…It's hard to explain."

"That's what many people say, when really, it's them finding an excuse not to say it…Do you feel uncomfortable telling me why, Luffy?" she smiled at him. If she knew flirting was this fun, or at least what she thought this was, she would've started a long time ago.

"Uh…Is it a bad thing that I'm gonna say yes?"

"Yes." She said bluntly, "Now. Speak, please."

"…What was the question again?"

"What do you feel?"

"What do I feel about what?"

"What do you feel about…me?" she asked, staring at him again as she smiled, noticing he was walking faster.

He looked away when she caught up at him.

She slightly leaned forward so she could see his face, a light smirk on her own.

"Well?" she asked.

"Well what?"

"You know what I mean."

He groaned, "_You _know I don't like taking tests!"

"This isn't a test. Now, stop trying to change the subject."

He whined as he pouted, turning his head and pulling his head over his eyes, "Do I have to say it? It's embarrassing." He said the 'r's as if they were 'w's.

"Yes."

"You're so mean, Robin!"

"I'm perfectly fine with that," she said smoothly.

"…"

"…"

"Well…"

"I think you're really smart. And I think you're really nice. And I really like your smile. And I like using the word 'really'!"

She smiled at his adorable humor. But she was also smiling for what he said. Hearing him just complimenting her was better than simply knowing she had another day to live.

"And I think you're funny. And I like how you always bite your lip. And I really like how you laugh."

"..You do, now? I've come to somewhat dislike my laugh."

He shook his head, "No, you don't laugh. You giggle! It's cuter that way!" he smiled.

It was her turn to look away. This was too much for her. This was the strongest she has ever felt for him.

"And I think you're really pretty."

"…"

"…Robin?"

"…"

"Hello? Robin? Are you okay?"

She nodded, still not looking at him.

"Yes, it's just…Everyone always told me the opposite of everything you said.."

"What?!...They're crazy!" he clenched his fists, but decided to use his energy to try to make her feel better.

"Yes…They thought I was…mean…I'm not comfortable repeating the words, and they said I was smart, but they said I was too serious. I was too grown up. They thought I had matured too fast. They told me I was ugly. That my smile was horrible."

"What?!" he almost lost his head in disbelief. "But, but…! But you're beautiful!"

She didn't do anything for a moment, but then shook her head.

"I'm serious." He said angrily.

She shook her head.

"No, really. _I_ like your smile. A lot. It makes me feel happy! And I like your hair. It's so soft and shiny!" he quickly petted her head, "And..And I really like your eyes. I like how they're blue and bright and they're really nice to look in."

"…"

"…Robin?"

"…"

"Ro-"

"Like Hancock?" she mumbled.

"…"

"…"

"No…Even better."


	29. Happiness, Trust, and Good Signs

**Halo! So, I'm super duper happy! Summer is**_** here**_**! Yay! I know some of you people are also on summer vac, and for some of you, there's really no difference. But whatever. My last day was Wednesday, next year's my last year! I'm so happy. But I'm sad at the same time. Anyways, thank you guys so much for all the reviews! This is the 29****th**** chapter, so I'm hoping that by the 30****th****, I have at least 100 reviews. **

**So anyways, I've realized recently, that my story turned from a normal one, into one that seems more like a screenplay. In other words, I think there's **_**WAY **_**too much dialogue. I feel so disgusted. I realized this when I was reading other stories on an iPad. iPads. They make everything seem all professional. So, I realized, mine is not professional at all, since it lacks certain things in certain areas. For example, I feel like I'm putting too much fluff in the LuRo when I know it's not gonna happen for a while, so I'm gonna switch to the other pairings somewhere in this…Anyways, I apologize.**

**I also apologize for late updates. But, it's summer now, so I'll try to update way more…So anyways, this chap's gonna be sorta split into three different problems…so…sorry if ya' get confused somehow. Here's your update!**

**P.S. I've decided Perona looks like her timeskip self…Everyone else is pre-timeskip, though. I like her better like that. :p**

* * *

"…You don't have to flatter me."

"Eh, what do you mean?"

"It's obvious you still think she's better." She looked at him and gave yet another one of the smiles of sorrow.

"Why do you keep thinking that?" he pouted, annoyed.

"Don't deny it, Luffy. You only said that to make me feel better. Of course you prefer her – you do like her, afterall." She gave him a real small smile.

He shook his head, "No. I think you're prettier."

"Stop saying that."

He shrugged, "I don't think Hancock's that pretty, anyways." He waved his hand.

"I would think that that's the main reason you would like her…She isn't the nicest."

"Like you!" he grinned.

"Or the smartest."

"Like you!"

"Stop saying these things, Luffy." She hid a smile.

"Ehhh…Why?"

"Because. You can't simply push all of her qualities away. That's quite rude. There has to be something you like about her..."

"…Mmm…" he thought about it. "Nope!"

She blinked. "What?"

"There's nothing!"

"What do you mean, Luffy-san?"

"Ehh…! Now you're calling me that again!"

"I don't mean to be so formal," she furrowed her eyebrows as she smiled. "But this is serious. You're being dishonest with me."

"Aw. You look sad." He pouted.

"Yes. Because you're being dishonest."

"Sugoi! Look at that...bird...I…see…"

"Stop avoiding this."

He puffed up his cheeks.

"Why won't you answer?" she smiled, amused.

His cheeks grew. "Well, thing is," he scratched his head, "I don't really know what I like about her!" he gave a nervous grin, "Shishi…shi."

She giggled.

"OI! Why are you laughing!?"

"It's amusing; seeing you flustered." She smiled, but and then put on a small frown. "But what are you saying by you don't know what yo-"

"I just don't know! I don't even know _why_ I like her…" he scratched his head, "Maybe I don't…"

Damn it all. He was in an awkward position. It was just yesterday morning when he told her that. But yes. He didn't know why he liked her. He didn't even like her! She was annoying, and weird, and most importantly, she was mean to _Robin_.

He lightly clenched his fists. However, she still caught that.

"Upset much?" she smiled softly.

He looked at her, surprised, "Oh, yeah. Just thinking…I've never said that before!" he grinned excitedly.

She giggled again, and put the thought away.

"I can see the building from here," she commented.

She lightly kicked the slim, top layer of water from a small puddle. She was upset. She liked talking to him. Even if it was just as friends. Just his company could make her smile. She wished it could last longer. She wished it could last forever.

He nodded, "So we're still skipping, right?"

"Please don't call it that…It makes me feel bad.."

"There's nothing else to call it!" he pouted.

"You could say missing school…It sounds as though we're reluctant to do so."

"…Eh?"

"Nothing."

The two walked in silence.

"How long has it been? Since we arrived?" she asked him, though she already knew the answer.

"Tomorrow's the sixth day." He answered after counting with his fingers.

"It's hardly been a week…" she said, looking down at her boots.

"Yeah! I like it here! Everything seems to go so slow all the time! That means it'll feel like forever with you guys!" he waved his hands in the air excitedly.

She smiled, "Yes…Forever…"

"Forever!"

"Forever…" she whispered. "I wish."

"What?" She looked up to see him frowning at her.

She didn't say anything, and looked down again.

"Robin."

"We're _not_ going to be together, all of us, forever. You know that. Right?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Eventually...We'll all leave. We'll be in each other's memories…But not in our lives."

"What? That doesn't make any sense!"

"It makes perfect sense. We'll change. We'll grow. We'll leave."

"Stop saying that." He demanded, "Stop talking about this. I don't want to hear it. It's only been a week! **Stop ruining it!**"

"…"

She looked at her boots.

"I'm sorry.." she apologized. "You…you should understand how I think. Negatively."

"Why can't you think of happy things? I think of happy things all the time." He frowned at her.

She smiled sadly, "Yes, I can tell…"

"Then why don't you do it?"

"…Because. Things aren't always so easy. Can we just leave it at that?"

"But…" he sighed. "Okay."

Her heart was pounding. She hated when they these sort of arguments. She hated when they had _arguments_. She didn't want any other emotions other than happiness to ever come when she was with him.

Besides, arguments also meant another easy way to embarrass herself. She always had to be on top. She always had to have an immediate answer. And when she didn't, she made a small scene, which made things even worse. It was horrible.

"..Did ya' know Nami likes Sanji?"

She stopped. "She does?"

He nodded. "Zoro told me."

She laughed. She didn't giggle, he noticed. She _laughed_. A long one. Not that he minded. The longer she laughed, the more he could watch her smile. "So you believe him?"

He nodded again. "He told me that Sanji told him that he likes her! And that he, I'm talking about Zoro, thinks that Nami likes him, too! So we just…have to…tell Sanji to ask her out! I DIDN'T REALIZE THIS BEFORE!" he jumped excitedly.

She giggled. It was too short, for his opinion. "I think that Zoro should be the one to convince him. I think they actually have the closest bond when it comes to serious things…Otherwise…they hate each other, and you two are best friends." He nodded.

"That's what he told me."

"I suppose I can talk to Nami later…to develop her feelings more." He grinned and nodded once more. "Do you…do you think there's any more romances in our group?" she smirked at him.

"Uh…Usopp likes this blond girl! And I saw Vivi talking to this one guy…Uh…I forgot his name…Hm." He said simply, tapping his head.

"How does he look like?" she asked him. She loved guessing games. Even if they weren't technical games.

"He has this hair that's sorta brown, but it's lighter. Or maybe it's dark blonde…Hm." He put on his thinking position again. "Oh, whatever! And he always wears this scarf thing and these purple-ish sunglasses."

She thought about it. She knew she had seen him before… What class was he in with her…English? No…P.E.? No…That's it! She was in the same History class as him. But of course, she sat right next to Luffy so she didn't pay attention much to the other students…Anyways, his name was right on the tip of her tongue. What was it, now? … Kohza! That's what it was.

And so, she told him, "Yes, I'm familiar with him." She felt slightly proud whenever she accomplished little things like this. "His name is Kohza."

"Yeah! That's what it was!" he nodded to her, grinning, "I remember now. Vivi said it when she was saying goodbye." He explained.

She nodded. She knew that she wasn't asking about Usopp's crush. Not because she didn't care. She loved all of her friends like family…except Luffy, of course. That…was just creepy. But she just wanted to walk, to enjoy this time. She also knew that she would basically have the whole day tomorrow as well, but it wouldn't feel the same. She would never have this same exact feeling again, so why waste it?

She sighed once he started talking again, "Hey Robin? Are we going to ask everyone else to skip, too, or is just gonna be us?" he asked her, his head tilted.

"Well, I suppose whatever you want is fine."

"Okay! Hm…Well…Hm…Weeell…Hm. Damn, this is hard!" he whined. She giggled. It was nice to know it was hard for him to pick between all of their friends and just her herself. But, it was obvious he was going to pick all of them. It wouldn't be as much fun, he would say. "Oi, Robin. Why don't you pick?"

She blinked, then shook her head, "No, Luffy… I'm fine. You can pick. It was your idea to skip, er, miss, after all."

He shook his head, too, "Nuh-uh! You can pick! Like you said, I came up with the idea, so you should pick this one this time!"

"No, Luffy. _Pick. __**Now.**_"

He started taking light jumps in panic, "Omigodomigod! Ehhh~ This is too much!"

She shook her head, "No, Luffy, I wasn't giving you a time limit I was merely saying that to-"

"Stop pressuring me, Robin!" he whined as he fake cried.

"I'm not."

"…Oh, okay…Well…If I had to pick…" he started before she interrupted him, "You _do_ have to pick." He pouted, "I know, I know! Sheesh! Well…If I were to pick…Then I would pick…Hmm….hmm…HMM…Just us!"

"Just us?" she repeated. She smiled to herself, incredibly satisfied with his choice. He picked her…He picked her. Wait, wait, why would he pick her? "Luffy," she started, "Why would you pick just us?"

He thought about it for a moment.

~LIST OF LUFFY'S 'LOGICAL' REASONS~

#1 He liked Robin.

#2 He wanted to spend more time with Robin.

#3 He wanted to spend more time _alone_ with Robin.

…That was it.

That was it, really. But of course, he couldn't tell her ANY of that, or else he would never, EVER be able to look at her again…Ever. So, he made up a fourth reason. "Because I need to catch up with you, remember?"

She nodded. Of course that was his answer. Afterwards, she looked down to the pavement in front of her once more. It was one of her most obvious reasons that she wanted to end the conversation. She was glad he understood.

The building was close, now. Just somewhere around another three minutes of walking and they would be there. She looked up from the floor only to notice him looking at her. So despite the fact she knew it would end horribly, she looked back at him. Out of other possibilities, she just gave him a smile and a nod. He looked away. Out of embarrassment? Out of awkwardness? Or out of hate? Ah, forget the hate part.

"What's wrong, Luffy?" she smirked. She just _had _to corner him. Just once. He shook his head, still looking away. "Did I do something wrong?" she asked innocently. As far as her voice, she was upset. As far as her grin and her silent giggling, she was winning. "Did…I upset you? Did…Did I embarrass you? I'm sorry.." she said sadly.

"Ah! No! Nothing's wrong! Nothing's wrong!" he shook his head back in forth along with his hands. "It's okay Robin, REALLY!" he hugged her hips as he started to panic, thinking he hurt her feelings. She giggled, "It's fine, Luf-"

"NO REALLY, ROBIN IT'S OKAY! DON'T CRYY~!"

She smiled at the older yet shorter boy hugging her. She petted the top of his head and slightly played with the soft, black hair behind his head as he fake sobbed to be dramatic. "Ah, it's fine, Luffy. I was just kidding." She gave an embarrassed smile to him as he looked up at her, "Really?" She nodded. "Wow! You're a good actress!" he exclaimed, jumping up. "You should sign up for a McDonald's commercial or something!"

She scrunched up her nose. "McDonald's, you say? I think I'll pass…" she hated the crappy fast food restaurant. It wasn't even a restaurant, in her opinion. "EH!? WHY!? Oh yeah!" he said, hitting his fist against his palm once he remembered, nodding, "Girls hate McDonald's!"

She giggled, "Exactly why, Luffy." He cheered. Apparently he liked small, technical guessing games, too. She stopped giggling once they arrived. "It seems like we're here." She sighed.

"I know. It's sad! I wanted to walk some more with you!" he whined, pouting. She smiled, and murmured, "I'm glad you feel that way."

"You do?" he blinked at her. He wasn't necessarily supposed to hear that. Now, it was her turn to look away. "Robin!" he whined again, "Answer me!"

Nothing.

"Ah, whatever. Point is…hm…the point is…I like hanging out with you! The End!" he hugged her shoulders in an attempt to get her to talk. "Get off of me, Luffy." It wasn't in her usual, commanding voice. It seemed…quieter. Shyer. "Are you acting again, Robin? 'Cuz _you_ seem embarrassed this time!" he laughed to himself as he let go of her. However, he stopped when she didn't react.

He gasped. "Robin…! You're…! **Embarrassed!**" She bit her lip. "AHA! I DID IT! I MADE YOU _FEEL_ SOMETHING!...But why? Don't you like hugging?" he fake cried again. "Ehhh~!"

She didn't answer. "So you **DON'T **like hugging!...Then why were you hugging Lucci?" he added quietly.

She finally turned to him and sighed, "Ah, Luffy…Don't take this so personally," she furrowed her eyebrows as she smiled softly, "I just…felt that I had to repay him."

He frowned. "For what? What the hell did he do for you that I didn't?"

"…I can't tell you."

"Of course." He said angrily. "Of course you can't…"

"…I'm sorry. I just realized I've already told you."

"You have?"

"About…Law…you know." He nodded slowly, "He was…somewhat giving me advice to try and…yes.." she sighed.

"Oh…I see… You could've just said that, Robin!" he grinned. "You got me all worked up!" he said sheepishly. She laughed. "But why him?"

"He talks to him occasionally, I suppose. He seemed to know a lot about him…" she explained. Apparently she was a good actress. He nodded. "Okay! I get it now! Anyways, let's go! It's getting cold!" he shivered as she giggled, the both of them walking into the school, the pleasant air helping them warm up, along with their hearts, of course.

* * *

Her large, brown, half-lidded eyes watched her two friends as they walked right in front of her, seeming to be into the conversation too much to notice her as they passed by.

She sighed. Her friend was so damn lucky. Her crush was an idiot. Of course he was easy to talk to. _And_ they were roommates, so that just gave her even more of an advantage.

Why did she have to have such high standards? Now, she was stuck with a sweet, friendly, funny, talented guy…and Robin had Luffy…Thank god she had higher standards. She didn't even want to think about dating _Luffy_. She noted to herself to ask Robin sometime on how she found the idiot attractive.

But, anyways, now she was completely stuck. No wonder Robin was always stressed out. Having a crush was _hard_. No, no. Having a crush was easy. Making a _move_ on your crush was hard. She put her head in her hands, frustrated. Shouldn't **he** make the first move? **He** was the gentleman, right? It was one of the reasons why she had grown to like the moron.

But what if he didn't like her? Maybe that was why he hadn't shown any interest?...Any _real_ interest, anyways. He flirted with every girl she knew. Well, not really flirt. It was more of a swoon.

What upset her most about it, though, was that when he did it to her, she knew it wasn't real. She **knew** it wasn't sincere. She **knew** it was just a mere habit. But she fell for him anyways.

* * *

"Neh, Robin? Do you still want to sleep? Your headache's gone," he asked her once the two entered their room.

"That's right. It is gone." She realized herself, "Well, it would be a waste of a such a nice night…I suppose I could stay up a bit longer."

"Really? That's great!" he cheered, jumping excitedly again, but then said, "Then why did we go back? We missed out on the taco truck…" he pouted sadly.

"I'm sorry, Luffy.." she apologized, "We could go back…It's…surprisingly only around 9:30…!"

"SUGOI! THANK YOU, GOD!" he cheered again, dashing out of the room and making an immediate turn to start jamming on the elevator button. Robin smiled and followed him, closing the door behind her.

Robin smile slightly grew as she noticed the boy mumbling words excitedly. "Hurry up, hurry up, hurry uuupp~!"

The elevator made it's signature sound of a faraway bell, the doors slowly opening.

"Mugiwara."

The boy blinked but then politely greeted, "Traffy-guy." Well, as polite as he could, at least.

The male frowned at this, "Traffy-guy?"

"Traffy-guy." Luffy nodded, somewhat confused on why they were repeating his name over and over again.

"Girly-ya." The other boy nodded to her as he walked out of the elevator, switching places with the two.

"Hello, Mr. Law-kun." she smiled.

He raised his eyebrows at her in a comedic way. Robin smiled a bit, embarrassed. He was _right there_ for God's sake! He smirked at her and winked before the doors closed. It was his way of

wishing her luck, she guessed.

"Wow. He…really likes you!" Luffy exclaimed, smiling at her. He was a good actor, too! He should sign up for…for…an Olive Garden's commercial! And Robin could have McDonalds! It was perfect! But anyways, he was preparing for this ever since the elevator doors opened. He knew it would come – with Traffy always flirting with Robin any chance he could get. He realized how pissed off it made him, actually admitting someone was flirting with _his_ Robin and all.

She nodded, the smile still on her face. "Yes, I suppose there are reasons you would say that…"

He nodded back, "Yup!" he said, smiling, but then pouted, "You guys even have secret signals! I feel so left out!" he whined dramatically.

She giggled, "It's not that important, Luffy…"

He pouted. Why wouldn't she tell him? It's not like she was some sort of spy…or…A RUSSIAN SPY! His eyes widened as he grinned at the idea, but he knew it wasn't true. But anyways, was he being too defensive? Too protective? Maybe that was why they always had issues. He was getting angrier more often…That was it. He _was_ too protective. But this. _This _wasn't protective! _This_ he actually** deserved** to know! They were best friends, right?...Of course they were…But…Was that all they ever were going to be?

* * *

"GET THE HELL AWAY FROM ME!"

Zoro had had it. That annoying care-bear had been following him non-stop, whining about her problems and the offer Robin had given her. He wasn't OPRAH for God's sake!

She whined in her annoying voice, "Hey, swordsman! I don't like talking to you either, but everyone is either busy, mean, or perverted!"

"And how am I **NOT** mean?!" he said, trying to calm himself down as he quickly walked in front of her.

"Because! I can tell you wouldn't actually hurt me!"

He stopped walking and muttered under his breath, "Geez, thanks for teaching me so well, Kuina."

"Who's Kuina?" the girl asked, walking to him smoothly, her dress being so long it gave the impression she was floating.

"My friend," he sighed, finally walking at a pace she could catch up with.

"_Haru-haru-haru_, does she go here?"

"Nah…She…she died."

Her smoky eyes that contrasted with the rest of pink self widened. "I'm sorry." She said softly.

"Don't be. I've gotten over it. She would've wanted me to. It's a pride thing, I guess…" he said, walking slightly faster.

She blinked at his back before she sighed sadly and mumbled, "Why do you like being alone so much, stupid swordsman?"

She followed him, a bit more respect and happiness in her, though.

* * *

She slightly tensed up as they walked outside again, the strong, frigid air hitting the both of them all at once. However, it took Luffy a while to realize it. She rubbed her arms quickly and breathed out, slight fascination occurring when the seeable, denser, form of air came out of her mouth.

"I-I-IT-IT'S SO-S-S-SO C-C-C-COLD~!" he shivered but managed to yell.

She nodded, "Much c-colder than last t-time…" Luffy blinked at her then laughed. "W-What's s-so funny?"

He shivered then smiled, "Your ch-cheeks are all r-red." Her eyes slightly widened. "Y-Yup! Y-You look c-cute... Sh-shi-shi-sh-sh-sh- ah, sc-screw it…"

She was sure they probably became redder. How could he manage to say that so easily? He knew she had a 'crush' on Law! Didn't he know what shame meant? However, she was still beyond happy. She smiled at the ground, embarrassed.

"W-Why're you s-smiling?" he asked her.

Damn it. Might as well tell him. It'll most likely embarrass him than her. "J-Just quite happy th-that you called me c-cute,"

"Well it's t-true..!"

She smiled. "A-Arigato, L-Luffy...for b-being my f-friend.

"Y-You-" he started before she interrupted him, "H-Hey do you j-just want to go to the St-Starbucks ins-side?"

He nodded, "G-Good thing we were t-taking b-baby s-steps!"

She looked behind her and peered her eyes when she realized they were a good nine feet from the school.

* * *

He gave a satisfied sigh as the two sat down, warm cups in their hands. "Sugoi…This is SO~ much better…" If she didn't know any better she would've said he was drunk. "I should've worn my scarf…" She giggled. "I feel like I'm stopping the world and melting with you.." he sighed, but then grinned, "Get it?"

She laughed this time, "_Fufufufufu! _Of course."

"Hey! Robin! Isn't that Nami over there?" she looked at the direction he was pointing at. "I think so…Do you mind if I were to talk to her right now? You could go convince Zoro to come with you and talk to Sanji-san."

"Good idea! I'm gonna go now! See ya' later Robin!" Both got up and left but after a few steps Robin turned back and called his name, "Hey, Luffy."

"Yeah?"

"What were you going tell me? Earlier, outside?"

"Oh, yeah!" he remembered. He started walking to her, "I was gonna say that you don't have to thank me for being your friend! Roommates or not I still would be! _Shishishi_!" he grinned and hugged her, "I hope you're embarrassed!"

He let go of her and ran off. She watched him leave, the tint of pink still visible. "Luffy.." she whispered. He was getting used to hugging her. That was a good sign, right?

* * *

The flame-headed girl sighed as she watched her two friends hugged. She felt as though they were doing it in front of her just to mock her. But she knew it was just her honest jealousy talking…Robin was too damn lucky. She probably wasn't so lucky from her own point of view, but to Nami, she was the luckiest girl on earth. To have someone so straightforward and brave.

She would have to guess Sanji would be more romantic when it came to serious things. And more romantic meant more mysterious. Mysterious was difficult to deal with, but later, it was always worth the wait and confusion.

She never really found herself attracted to blondes. She never really found herself attracted to _anyone_, really. But when he was flirting, like actually flirting and wasn't in what Nami called Pervert Mode, he always seemed to get the best of her with his stupid flattery and his stupid foods and his stupid smile and his stupid kindness…

She was one of the few dozens of students in the whole school that knew he smoked. She couldn't help but feel flattered just to know he trusted her. But then again, no teachers really cared…except for Smoker. Ironic, correct?

Smoking, however, just somehow drew her to him even more. It was a subtle hint of pure maturity inside that still childish body of his. He would never admit it himself, but he _was_ childish. As childish as Luffy. But then again, they were all childish. Even Robin. Just the other day she told her that she still thought that they were secret cities and buildings underneath Canada. She had reasoned that the area was too large for the amount of people there actually were, her theory being they were all hippies and didn't want to cut down forests and hurt their beloved moose.

She had to admit it was pretty reasonable.


	30. Saving Grace

**Hey ppl. So I have this random question. When you're reading any fics, do you imagine them talking with their Japanese voices or their English voices? I do both, depending on the story or how badass the line is. :p Anyways, thank you for the reviews! I'll try to improve on things and I'll try to add in more. I'm at 100, so THANK YOU! **** I FEEL SO HAPPY! Thank you, for those readers who have stuck with me since the beginning…You're still there, right? Anyways, I feel so damn guilty for not updating very often but guess what? We're completely rebuilding our old house so right now it's a piece of rubbish. Does that get me off the hook whatsoever? No? Oh well. Anyways, this chapter **_**will **_**be focused on LuRo. But they won't be the only ones, so chill pill. ~**

**Also, I need to start a conversation about this whole Violet-thing. If you do not read the manga, this is somewhat a spoiler. So. Get lost.**

**Anyways, what's your guys' opinions on her? **_**Should**_** she join the Straw Hats? I. Think. NOT. I think Oda's character imagination ran a bit low on this one. I **_**do**_** think she's a good ally with a good DF and all, but her personality…is boring, to me. It's not so out of the ordinary. And the whole Sanji thing is, to me, a total replay of the Amazon Lily Arc with the Luffy/Hancock-ness. That and the fact that she looks practically identical to Robin. A secret ally assassin that betrays the antagonist that just so happens to be a Shichubukai? Where have I seen that before? -_- I mean, I really like her as an ally and all, so don't get me wrong. Just…not as a Straw Hat. I can't picture that. If she does join, all I'll really be happy about is the fact that she's a girl.**

**I apologize for me blabbering. Just **_**needed**_** to get that out. :3 **

**I think you guys will like this chappy. Happy 30th. :P**

* * *

Robin sat up, rubbing her eyes softly. The usual sunlight streamed out of the empty space the blinds provided. The air was cooler that day, which in her opinion, was better. It was easier to warm up then to cool down. She immensely hoped autumn would come soon.

She sighed softly, then moved up a bit further, her long legs swinging off the side of the bed in front of the ladder.

Last night was awful. Not to mention utterly useless. Nami wasn't talking about her crush. She was talking about _Robin's_ crush. She didn't seem to let the topic go. Even after many attempts to change the subject, Nami simply teased her for trying to change the subject. But she wasn't very embarrassed by her friend's teasing. She truly wanted to change the subject. It'd be weird if she simply told her that, so instead she kept her mouth shut and amused herself with her friend's words. She planned on trying again later.

She blinked a bit before climbing down. Today was the day they were going to ditch. It still upset her, and it was positive they would get a load of ass-kicking either tomorrow or after school. Well, Luffy would. They would just lightly scold her.

She looked at the still fast asleep boy. He was an early bird, yes, but he loved sleep just as every other teenager. Just the sight of him asleep made her sleepy once again.

She looked at the simple black and white clock above the sink. Almost nine fifteen. School had already started which meant Robin had been marked absent for two whole classes. She softly rubbed her temples in overdramatic and unnecessary stress.

She leaned against the bed frame as she debated on going back to sleep or not. There was nothing else to do while he was still asleep, she figured, and he would probably wake her up later. So her beauty sleep won.

Not that she needed it.

* * *

Nami huffed to herself angrily. Chemistry with these two prisses. Luffy _and_ Robin were absent. Sure Franky was with her, but he was more in the back of the class, and she didn't feel in the mood to talk to anyone anymore, anyway. The point was, they ditched. Last night Robin was perfectly fine! They both had a great time teasing each other. Well, Nami did.

She didn't pay any mind to the lesson, since her sister was a total know-it-all when it came to chemistry and science. She knew all this stuff already.

It was obvious Robin knew about her crush, from the way she got immensely annoyed every time she interrupted her whenever she asked who _her_ crush was. And she knew for a fact, Robin wouldn't get much annoyed for a small thing like that – especially when it came from one of the only other two girls in their group.

She should tell Robin, shouldn't she? Robin was one of her best friends. Besides, she wouldn't tease her…well, she was partly sure. Robin was as so rude to tease anyone, excluding Zoro. She had to admit it felt pretty nice just to simply think about getting advice from her, even if it was from someone who still hardly knew anything about crushes.

She clenched her jaw in annoyance as Porche 'accidentally' elbowed her. Her fist was the next to clench once Kalifa did the same thing, only harder. What ticked her off wasn't the fact that it hurt – they were actually incredibly weaker than she had thought they'd be – it was the desperate, constant, gestures to try and piss her off. But she withstood it.

They usually aimed for her arm.

She more than happily crossed the line and harshly, as she liked calling it, bitch-slapped both of them once Kalifa had aimed for the bottle in her hand, the teal liquid spilling on her white shorts.

"Baka." Nami spoke calmly, despite all her anger.

It would've been a big scene, but everyone was used to the comical, somewhat halfhearted violence. It wasn't halfhearted at all, but she supposed with her innocent looking face they had passed it off as so.

"That temper of yours isn't lady-like." Kalifa spoke sternly, recovering.

"And your elbowing is _so_ mature." Nami growled.

"I can see why that blondie doesn't like you. Someone so proper and perfect belongs with someone like me, correct?"

"Look, _Kalifa_," she seethed, "There are two things I just _love_ doing. Having money, and kicking ass. And even though I'm fuckin' rich,** I'm still gonna kick your ass**."

"Wow, big words form such a delicate little mouth." Porche said, a smirk on her ugly I-tried-to-have-a-perfect-nose-so-I-had-nose-surge ry-but-I-was-a-bitch-to-the-surgeon-so-he-fucked-u p-on-purpose face.

"Sorry, Porche, but your nose isn't exactly ladylike either." She rolled her eyes, and tried to ignore the two.

At first everything was quiet between the three of them, the whole room quietly chattering about the experiment.. Next thing she knew, a cold liquid was streaming down her forehead. It didn't start there – it ended there, actually. It started at the tip of her bright orange hair. She gasped and closed her eyes, the somewhat thicker substance falling into gravity. The whole room then became silent.

She took deep breathes through her nose and tried to calm herself down. She tried to do something Robin would do – something more mature. It was hard to do so, but she simply got up anyways, waiting for all the liquid to stop before running her hand through her hair so it was out of her face. She said clearly, "May I go to the office to file a report, Dr. Hiruluk?"

* * *

"Ro-bin!" he whispered, lightly shaking the girl as he sat where she was about an hour ago, his legs firmly on one of the ladder's steps. "Ro~bin! Pssstt! Wake! Up!" he sighed once she stirred, yet her eyes lay same.

She really was beautiful, to him at least. He didn't care what anyone else thought about her. He didn't care what anyone thought of anything, actually.

He let himself fall on her bed, landing on her legs. "I'm so bored~" he whined to himself softly. He pouted and got up. "Robin! Robin! There's a fire!"

She opened her blue eyes and quickly sat up, whimpering when she hit her head again.

"! GAH! Are you okay?!" he asked.

She nodded, still holding her forehead. "Yes. It's not much.."

He smiled, "Good! Wanna go down stairs? I'm really bored." He swung his legs faster.

"I suppose so. Just let me get ready."

His eyes widened, "I gotta do that too!" She sweat-dropped as he raced to the bathroom.

She rubbed her eyes again, hearing the sink's rushing water get turned on. It was annoying to her, really. You would think that after sleeping for a hour you would feel better. She just felt even sleepier than before. Being hit in the head with a cement ceiling wasn't exactly a ray of sunshine either. She lightly touched the spot and winced. A bruise.

Sighing, she climbed down, a soft thump erupting once she landed on the dirty blonde carpet. She walked to her closet, where she picked out what to wear. After a few minutes, she decided on a simple, short blue dress with a turtleneck and black sandals. She put the dress on her shoulder and held the shoes as she sat on his bed, waiting for the bathroom.

"Hey Robin," he said, coming out, "I'm gonna change out here, so take a REALLY, REALLY long time in the bathroom!"

She sweat-dropped but responded with a simple smile and nod.

After getting dressed in his usual shorts, a shirt that had a black smiley on it, and another somewhat pilot-looking hat underneath his straw one, Luffy sat on the marble counter, swinging his legs again. He hummed random songs his ojii-chan taught him when he was younger.

He grinned when Robin walked out. "It matches your eyes!"

She blinked, but then smiled, "Thank you...As far as I know." she mumbled the last part to herself. "You're looking quite cute today yourself." she smiled, softly tugging on one of the wings of the extra hat.

"Shishishi! I always look cute! Well that's what Hammock and Ace tell me..." he thought about it, "But Ace says that I have a different type of cute down. Like hell I know what that means!" he laughed.

She giggled and walked to the table to fix a few things in her purse. He certainly wasn't wrong. But both types of 'cute' worked for her, really.

"What are we gonna do today?" he asked, going on the opposite side of the table and laying down, so his head was near her hands.

She looked down at him and giggled, "Anything's fine."

"You always say that."

"It's not like you can change 'anything,'" she reasoned.

"Ahh, that's true,"

He got up once she started walking away.

"Can we go walking again? And can you actually come with me to iHop today? And can you pay? I have too much on my tab."

"Yes, yes, and I'm afraid not."

He whined as they entered the elevator. "What time is it?" he asked, still interested in the portrait of meat behind them.

She checked her phone, "About ten thirty. Third period's started."

"We're so late! Shishishi!"

Technically they weren't late if they never showed up, but she didn't have the heart to correct him after his adorable little laugh. She rubbed her eyes with the palm of her hand, her long, slender fingers brushing her silky, black hair.

"You're still tired?" he asked, the tone of his voice seeming truthfully curious.

She nodded, "A bit."

"Then you need to order coffee."

"I know." She nodded.

The rest of the ride went in silence. As she held on to her other wrist, she rubbed her skin with her thumb. Her eyes were closed. All of the stress and hesitation had taken a toll on her. She didn't know if she looked like it on the outside, but on the inside, she always felt so anxious. And she hardly ever felt anxious. Even back at Enies.

Maybe she should just tell him. The worst she would face is rejection, right? And she knew she wasn't prepared to change anything between them from something like that. And she was entirely positive Luffy didn't think that way either.

She let out a silent breath of air and opened her eyes. She would have to tell him. It was going to happen either way in her eyes – so why not do it now? Well, not right at the moment, but soon.

It…It just had to be at the right time. When they were alone. When they were somewhere nice. She was sure the rest of them would aid her in this plan. She looked at him from the corner of her eye, and on instinct, furrowed her eyebrows in anxiety.

_Look at what a mess you've made me, Luffy._

All she could do was hope that he was also her saving grace.

* * *

_Tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap, tap! _Her pale, delicate fingers, swung the edges of the pencil back and forth, creating a small tap with every interaction. Her large, brown eyes looked at the clock as the time moved one more minute further. She still had a little under half an hour until she had to get to chemistry. Until she _got_ to go to chemistry. The class had been an interest for her, at least she thought, but it turned out to be an incredible bore, not to be rude to Dr. Hiruluk.

She thought it would be less learning and more experimenting. Despite the fact she seemed like polite, quiet, girl, she would actually describe herself more adventurous, and she always sought out for something different. Something odd or weird or straight out of the ordinary. Thankfully, she met Luffy and the others. Not one of them was alike – and yet they were all the perfect combination.

A shame she didn't share that class with any of them.

Her left cheek lay on her palm, her fingers curled up which resulted in a somewhat cute, childish look as her cheek puffed up. This class would've gone by in a breeze – all nine of them had that same class. But the two that were exact opposites were absent. Without the charming Robin or the amusing Luffy, the group wasn't complete. Mostly because of Luffy, to be fair. He was the leader. And the idiot that seemed to get the teacher off track incredibly easily. Today, though, even the mood was different. A, B, or C? No, it was D. All of the above. These were all of the reasons why she wanted to go the Chemistry.

And the fact that her childhood friend and her first love had came back and so happened to share those 50 minutes of the day with her was there. That was all.

She closed her eyes and silently sighed happily, resting in her palm in a more relaxed way. She opened her eyes. Only three minutes!? She sighed in frustration, now. Exactly twenty minutes to go.

She looked over to her other beautiful friend, who was wearing a different shirt than what she had remembered this morning, her usually laid down, thin, bright hair in a ponytail. She had an annoyed yet almost satisfied looking grin on her face. She hadn't Nami for too long, but she could tell.

That, my friend, was a sign of evil.

She would have to ask her about it later. She blinked down into her book, crossing her legs after she suddenly felt she was missing something. She couldn't help but slightly pout when she wasn't satisfied.

She consciously tangled her fingers in her long, wavy light blue hair as she scribbled the name of who she wanted to talk to desperately.

_Kohza, Kohza, Kohza._

Even his damn name was addicting to her.

* * *

"Are you satisfied now, Luffy?" she smiled as they entered the restaurant, warm air greeting them. He nodded happily.

"OI, LUFFY?! WHY AREN'T YOU AT SCHOOL?! A voice shouted from somewhere in the kitchen.

"I DITCHED!" he yelled back.

She winced as she tried to ready herself for all the shameful stares. However, she was surprised when she was greeted with, "OH, OKAY!" followed by many laughs.

"People seem to know you." She commented as they were seated.

He nodded and grinned, "I come here a lot! Lots of people in this town know me!" She smiled back – she could see why.

She recognized the voice of the man that was yelling earlier as the man that stood in front of them now. "Oi, Luffy. What's with you bringing girls here all the time, now? Don't tell me you've become one of those teenagers…"

"Eh?"

"Nevermind. But seriously, what happened to Zoro and Sanji? They ditch you?"

"Nuh-uh!" he shook his head, "We kinda, sorta ditched them! But they're still our friends. They just told me they don't like this place very much because they think pancakes are the feminine shame of all breakfast meals!"

"Zoro and Sanji are idiots. Remember that."

He laughed, "Shishishishishi! You don't have to say that! I already knew!" The man chuckled and walked away.

Robin caught herself smiling every now and then during the conversation, but she felt out of place. Either that or she thought the man was rude. He had talked about her like she wasn't even there. She wondered if people knew how annoying it was when they did that – or if they even knew they were doing it in the first place.

She was caught somewhat off guard when Luffy asked her, "Hey, Robin! Is this what a date is?"

"..Could you explain a bit more, Luffy?" she asked, a smile still on her face. Not a polite one, though. A real one. From one official week of Luffy experience, she could tell where this was going – and this time, this time she was ready.

"Well, Shanks always tells me a date is when you go somewhere with someone you really like!"

"Then, would you consider hanging out with Zoro or Sanji-san a date?" she asked.

"Eh, what?! Are you crazy!? That's not what I mean!" he shook his head.

"_Fufufu_~ Then what do you mean?"

He thought about it for a second, "I don't know. It's hard to explain." He scratched his head awkwardly.

She laughed again, "_Fufu_~ Your best friend once told me something similar…Though I had said it was personal, not hard to explain…He said that when you say so, you're just truly embarrassed to say it. Are you embarrassed by telling me, Luffy?" she asked innocently.

He pouted, "Next time I see Zoro, I'm gonna punch him in the face," he said bluntly. She smiled. "Well?"

"Hm? Oh…Er...It really is hard to explain, but to prove I'm not embarrassed, I'll try to say it! It's sort of like...they're my friends, so I can't have a date with them!...I think…does date come form the word 'dating'?" he asked, eyes wide.

She nodded and giggled.

"SUGOI! I just realized that! I know how to explain it, now! You see," he said, professionally, "I can't date Zoro and Sanji, because they're my nakama, and that'd be weird."

"So? What makes me so different? Would you mind dating me?" she asked, leaning forward, resting on her palm.

He blinked, but then shook his head and smiled, "I'd be happy to!"

…

She frowned at him, feeling somewhat angry.

She stared at him as he sat there, smiling like an idiot. What. Had. He. Just. Said? Did she just accidentally _ask him out? _At an iHop. My, god. She was incredibly disgusted by the whole situation, but at the same time, though she wouldn't admit it, felt like she wasn't going to ever stop smiling. She seriously hoped that he meant that he would, as in some other time, not as in he accepts to whatever question she asked.

She went back to her smile once he opened her eyes, and asked somewhat desperately, "Well, that's nice to know, but…Why?"

"Well, it's different because when I'm with you, I feel different."

She now understood what it meant when all those songs said their hearts skipped a beat. "How…how do you feel, Luffy?"

"I can't tell you." He frowned.

She was taken back by this. "Why not?"

"Because."

"That's not a satisfying answer, Luffy." she said firmly, "Why can't you tell me? I told you what mine was."

"That's exactly why," he murmured to himself.

"What?" she asked her eyes slightly widening. Her 'secret' was that she liked Law. Did he really mean…? "I don't care, Luffy."

His hat provided shade over his eyes. His eyes were slightly peered as he listened to her.

"…How do you feel when you're with me, Luffy?"

…

He closed his eyes for a second and she heard him sigh. He opened his eyes and pointed to his chest. She looked curiously at his hand before looking back into his eyes.

"Robin…When…When I'm with you…I…I…"

_He was her saving grace._

"I have this Mystery Feeling."


	31. Meditation

**Haii.! So, thanks for your opinions and such…It reassures me that she probably won't join…Cuz I **_**really **_**don't want her to. Thanks for your reviews, they make me feel so happy.! **** I think this story will actually end around 40, 'cuz I'm trying to make all my chapters longer, and I'm slightly speeding up the pace of it. So, here's your update.**

* * *

She watched him as he stared at her, his eyes still darkened from his hat's shadow. His finger still pointing at his chest. His eyes, she thought, made him look dreary.

She wondered if he noticed how fast she was breathing. "Calm down..." he muttered. "I get it." She vaguely furrowed her eyebrows. "It's stupid." He tried giving a smile, but it quickly went away.

"Lu-"

"Forget about it. Really." He shook his head.

"Luffy, -"

"What would you like to order today, Luffy?" a man asked.

"More time." He answered, looking at him form the corner of his eye.

"Really?" he asked, somewhat surprised. However, he shrugged his shoulders and left.

She noticed how he refused to look at her. He just stared at where the waiter used to be.

"So what're you gonna order?" he asked curiously, his tone back to normal, along with everything else – his eyes, his smile, everything she wanted to tell him she loved.

So what was stopping her? Nothing. Nothing bur her own fear. Fear of what? Fear of embarrassment.

Fear of failure.

Fear of being alone.

And she, out of all people, would know what all of those things mean. Some people, some lucky people, would never know what it was like – to feel utterly useless. Like him. It was ironic to her, really, they both liked each other – they both understood each other…How?

How would he know – _what _would he know about being alone? Nothing. He was _never _alone. He had that magnetic personality, that would always reassure him that someone, somewhere, was smiling because of him.

And she was one of those lost idiots.

She gave a silent sigh as she pretended to look through the menu. Why couldn't she tell him? She already knew he liked her, for god's sake.

So again, what was stopping her?

She couldn't even answer that.

"I don't know yet. What are you getting?" she asked, looking at the menu, but not reading it.

"Everything." He grinned.

He acted as if nothing happened.

"I suppose I'll get a Denver Omelet." She said, as it was the first thing she saw.

He acted as if it wasn't a big deal.

"Me too!" he smiled. She didn't smile back.

He acted as if he didn't care.

"Robin.." he whined.

She wondered if he was alone, too.

* * *

Vivi bounced with a step she knew Luffy would usually have. But she couldn't help it – she was unbelievably excited to see him again. She only had one class with him, this one, obviously, so she always wanted to make the best of it.

She was never the shyest girl, but she wasn't just one to go, walk up, and ask someone out. She planned on doing it within the next couple of days, and simply hope for the best.

She could only wish that Nami and Robin were as confident as she felt like she was with their own crushes.

She smiled as she entered the classroom, seeing him casually sitting on his desk as he talked to one of their friends, Pell. She sat down in her seat next to him, smiling to herself once he instantly noticed her.

"Hey Vivi," he smiled politely.

She smiled and nodded to him happily, "Hi."

She saw him roll his eyes as Pell walked away, punching him in the arm.

"What was that for?" she asked curiously.

"What was what?" he asked bluntly.

"He punched you," she teased, her eyebrow raising as she smiled.

He sighed, putting his hand on her head, "It's a guy thing, Vivi."

"I _grew up_ with you guys!" she pouted.

"Then shouldn't you know what it means?"

"…Shut up, Kohza!" she whined, slightly angered.

He laughed at her.

"Good afternoon, Kohza.." a somewhat raspy voice greeted.

Vivi turned her head to see the person who said it. She stared at him. She felt as if she knew him…Somewhere…

"Ah, get lost, will ya'? You do nothing but shit." Kohza frowned. There was his short temper again – the temper she loved.

He noticed her curious, brown eyes staring at him and peered down at her. He seemed quite tall – probably a bit taller than Robin or Hancock.

She furrowed her eyebrows as his eyes ever so slightly widened, but then he smiled darkly. "It's been quite a while, eh, Vivi?"

Now it was her turn for her eyes to widen, "..Crocodile?"

He chuckled.

She clenched her teeth and felt herself blush out of embarrassment.

"Hey Vivi. You know him?" he said with his calm, demanding voice that scared her but couldn't help but sometimes admire.

She nodded. "I met him when I left…when I was about…eleven. I knew him for two years, then I left to another school again." She pouted under his grin.

"How nice of you to remember."

"Shut up!" she cried. "I don't want anything to do with you!"

She heard Kohza scoff at him after she said that. That wiped his smug little grin off his face.

"Aw…" he said with little emotion using his large pale hand to lift her chin up, "Was I that cruel to you?"

"Oi, oi, don't touch her." Her friend frowned as he got off, knocking the other man's hand away.

Crocodile smirked, "Getting jealous, aren't we?"

"Jealous?" he sneered incredulously, "Of you?"

Vivi silently sighed. She knew where this was going. When Kohza got angry at someone, he wouldn't calm down until he was utterly and completely satisfied. And she found out the hard way, the only thing that satisfied him was violence.

His smirk grew, "Don't worry, I won't still your precious…little Vivi from you…" he held her chin and ran his thumb down her cheek.

As he diverted his eyes back to the other man, he suddenly saw nothing but ceiling tiles, and felt nothing but numbness across his nose for a few moments.

"Kohza…!" she gasped.

He let out a single pant as he stood straight up, fixing his sunglasses. "Class is about to start. Sit down, Crocodile." He shook his head and sat down , sighing. "There's blood everywhere…" he mumbled, wiping it on his pants.

She scrunched up her nose and he laughed.

"Are you okay?" she asked the man who was still looking up, holding his nose as the scarlet liquid trickled from his nose down to his jaw.

"I'll live." He grinned, licking what blood was around his mouth.

She shivered. "You should go to the nurse."

"Thank you for your concern." He said coldly, walking away.

"Seems as if he doesn't like you." He commented sarcastically.

She stared at the doorway he left in.

"How do you know him, anyways?" he asked, facing his chair towards her.

She turned her head to look at him, "How do _you_ know him?"

"I asked you first."

"Well I guess you'll never know!" she smiled, teasingly.

He sighed, "I barely met him a few days ago. He started a fight with Pell, and beat him up pretty badly."

She nodded sadly, "Is that why he was wearing the bandage around his head?"

"Yeah. The next day, he beat up Igaram. Afterwards, I told them he'd never leave my sight without a new excuse to go to the nurse's office."

"How bold of you," she praised happily.

He smiled at her. "Now, tell me _your_ story."

"Hmph... He was my first new friend. I thought he was nice and kind and polite. Then over the summer, I still have no idea what happened. But next time I saw him, he was…different. He was only twelve for god's sake and he started _smoking._"

She shook her head in disappointment as he raised his eyebrow in disbelief.

"Anyways, he got into all the bad stuff that shouldn't be even mentioned of in seventh grade. So, I stopped talking to him. But, apparently, he didn't like that. So he somehow got my dad fired from his job. So we had to move somewhere else." She finished, resting her cheek on her palm again.

"You have much more of a reason to hate him." He said.

She nodded, and gave him a sad smile.

"So why _aren't_ you kicking his ass?"

She giggled.

"Oi, oi, what's so funny?" he poked her forehead, smirking.

"Kohza, you have a short temper."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"It's not that short,"

"It's almost impossible to see."

"You're a handful, Nefertari."

"Am I worth it?" she smiled.

"Of course."

She smiled happily.

He chuckled, "I've missed you, Vivi."

Her smile grew, "I've missed you too."

* * *

"Ah~! I'm out of those hellholes!" Nami happily stretched as the bell rang for lunch.

She quickly walked out of the doorway and went to their special tree and bench. She took a deep breath. She loved this spot – the shade always covered them, but they were always some small holes that let the perfect amount of sunlight through.

She had forgotten that after History, she had Math, which she shared with Luffy and Robin as well. Well, now, she was free, and she just had to wait for the rest of them. She swung her feet as she sat at the edge of the bench, waiting for someone to come out of the school.

She smiled and waved, "Vivi!"

"Nami-san!" she greeted happily as she walked over to her, bouncing for her last step.

"So, did anything happen?" she teased, sticking her tongue out.

"Sort of…He just defended me in something. No big deal." She smiled, shaking her head.

"Aww…Where art thou, Kohza?"

"Shut up!" she whined.

Nami giggled. Zoro nodded to the two of them as he walked over.

"Hey…Zoro…?" Vivi raised her eyebrow as he completely ignored them and lay down next to the bench.

"He fell asleep." Nami commented bluntly. Vivi giggled.

"Baka, baka…!" Sanji said angrily as he approached the three of them, kicking the other male square in the jaw.

"THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!"

"I WASTED MY DAMN TIME LOOKING FOR YOU, DUMBASS!"

"WELL THAT'S YOUR FAULT!"

"GO TO HELL!"

"MAKE ME!"

"SHUT UP BEFORE I STICK MY FOOT UP YOUR ASS!"

"Woah."

"Woah, what?!" he growled, lightly kicking his side.

"I know I'm sexy, ero-cook, but you don't have to threaten to rape me."

…

…

"FU-"

"SHUT UP!"

Vivi winced and sweatdropped as Nami socked the two of them, both of them landing a few meters away.

"Hello, SUPER ladies and gentlemen!" Franky greeted, dancing in, "OW!"

"You're right. Your shitty face does hurt." Sanji said, walking up with Zoro.

"Hey Sanji?" Chopper asked, walking up to the man and tugging on the leg of his pants. The two girls smiled.

"Eh? Oh, what is it, Chopper?" Sanji smiled at him.

...

"Why are you such a douche-bag?" he asked in a soft, curious voice.

Everyone proceeded in cracking up in their own ways – Zoro, Franky, and the just arrived Usopp being as loud as they pleased, Chopper silently chuckling, and Nami and Vivi attempting not to, but failing miserably. Sanji rolled up in a ball and cried.

"Ah," Zoro sighed, wiping a tear, "Nice job." He petted Chopper's head.

"YOU BASTARD! THAT DOESN'T MAKE ME HAPPY~!"

"He looks happy." Vivi mumbled.

Chopper climbed up onto Zoro's shoulders, then exclaimed, "Hey, you guys!" he waved.

"Hm? Chopper? Who are you…waving…to?" Nami asked softly, looking around.

"Look who turns out to SUPER be here!" Franky cheered, "You're late, Mugiwara, Nico Robin."

"Ah, about time you guys showed up! I was about to send my crew of 5,000 men to look for you!" Usopp exclaimed, smiling, but it turned into a frown once Luffy didn't react.

"Hey, hey! Luffy? What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Everything's fine." He said, trying to look confused.

"I'm not an idiot, Luffy!"

"Luffy.." Nami, Vivi and Chopper said softly, also noticing the boy's unusual sadness.

"Hey Robin? What's-" she stopped and silently gasped as the girl looked at her coldly, and shook her head.

The group of nine stood silent under the tree, the other students unknown to the uncomfortable feeling lingering around them, and continued happily chatting.

"What happened, Robin-chan?" Sanji asked seriously.

"I don't prefer to talk about it." She mumbled.

"Robin." The swordsman said.

She stared at him, and after a long time, nodded, walking away. Zoro followed her.

"Oi, marimo, why do you get to-"

"We're in a secret affair," he said sarcastically, yet coldly, and walked away.

Luffy turned around and watched them walk away into the building.

"Luffy…" Chopper whispered, making the boy turn back around, "What happened?"

He looked down, "I told her I liked her."

…

"EHHH?!" five of six of them yelled, "YOU LIKE HER?!"

"Oh yeah," Sanji scratched his head, "I never told you guys."

"Sanji-kun!?" Nami said in disbelief.

"I'M SORRY NAMI-SWAAAN!"

"Guys, guys, SUPER shut up! This is about Mugiwara!" Franky shook his head.

"Right. Sorry." Nami nodded.

"No, that's it." Luffy sighed and pouted sadly, taking off his hat and holding it against his chest, sitting on the grass.

"What do you mean, that's it?" Usopp asked.

"That's it. She didn't want to talk to me after that. SHE HATES ME!" he cried falling into the grass.

Vivi frowned sadly, "Even though he's being dramatic, I still can't stand seeing him so upset."

"I know…" Nami agreed. "Should we…" she looked at her best friend.

Vivi nodded and told Sanji, which he nodded to as well.

"Alright, shitty straw boy," Sanji said, walking up to him, hands in his pockets, lightly kicking his head until he got up.

"Yeah, Sanji?" he asked, dramatic tears in his eyes.

He sighed, "No matter how angry it makes me, here it goes."

* * *

"EH? HE TOLD YOU!?"

Robin nodded.

"Then WHY didn't you say anything."

She shook her head, "I don't know…"

"Tch. Stupid woman. He's Luffy! He can't take a hint! He doesn't understand what that silence means!"

She shook her head, "I know, I know…I…"

"You what? Are you an idiot, Robin!? He straight up told you! What the hell are you waiting for?"

"The right time." She answered.

"The right time…?"

"I just want everything to be perfect…There are so many things that could go wrong."

He sighed, "Here we go again." He shook his head, "Well, what're the chances of good things happening?" he asked bluntly.

She looked at the floor in between them sadly.

"What are the chances you both like each other? Uh, I don't know? A hundred percent, baka!" he flicked her forehead.

"Ow.." she rubbed her head. "Zoro, you don't understand."

He shook his head, "Why are women so damn complicated," he muttered.

"This is useless. You can't help me now, Zoro. Arigato, but it's up to me now when to decided to tell him." She said firmly.

He facepalmed, "Fine. But I'm just warning you. You better tell him, before it's too late."

"Robin!" Nami exclaimed, running up to her.

"Eh? What is it, Nami?" Zoro asked.

"Get outta here, Zoro!" she pushed him away. He muttered curses as he slowly caught his balance.

"Nami?" she asked uncertainly.

The teenager sighed, "Robin…You're probably gonna hate me for this…But you'll love me in the long run! Don't worry, I won't ask for much! Only a year's worth of berri!"

"Wait, wait, this is too much. What are you impl-"

She gasped, and took a step back, in a way she thought was somewhat dramatic.

"I'm sorry, Robin. Don't be mad at me." He said sadly, hugging her tighter.

"It's okay."

"No it's not! Stop lying!"

"No, it's fine…Just…get off…"

"Stop pushing me away!"

"I wouldn't…but…you're squeezing me…I can't breathe."

"OH…Whoops." He grinned sheepishly and let go.

He stared at her and blinked, before sitting down. "Wanna sit?" he asked her looking up and smiling softly.

She looked at the group of eight who stood twenty feet away, giggling. She glared at them before she sighed, then smiled softly at them and proceeded in sitting on the grass in front of him.

"Do you wanna meditate?" he asked, putting his hands in the cliché pose.

"Meditate?" she repeated, but copied him.

He smiled, closing his eyes, "Mhm! Ojii-chan told me about this when I was little, but he also said I'd never understand the real thing. So he just told me that when you meditate you just calm yourself down and forget everything that makes you feel all weird. Shishishi!"

She closed her eyes, knowing people were watching them as if they had just murdered someone. "What makes you feel weird?" she asked him quietly.

"Everything." He answered, "People always tell me I'm weird. They always give me weird looks. They always treat me differently."

She opened both her eyes. She never thought he cared about those sort of things.

"Most of the time I don't care, because they're either joking or I don't really care or know them. But sometimes…I feel really weird. Like I really screwed up."

She stared at him, his eyes still closed. "I didn't know I made you feel like that." She mumbled.

"It's okay." He opened his eyes, "Ace always told me that the truth hurts."

_But I haven't told you the truth yet._

She slightly turned her head to the school as the bell rang. "Would you like to meditate afterschool?" she asked, smiling softly.

He grinned at her, "Sure."


	32. Expectations

**Hay. So…Erm. Nothing to say….Haha. Well, I hope you guys enjoy it. Here's your update! Review, if you can..**

* * *

"Not to be rude…What happened?" Vivi asked excitedly, tapping on of her shoulder.

She sighed, "Nothing, I'm afraid. Well…it seems things are starting to regulate, so that's good."

She nodded, "I'm glad. It…was really awkward earlier."

The taller girl gave an apologetic smile, "I'm sorry about that."

She shook her head, and waved it off, "It's fine, it's fine."

She nodded, a let out a silent breath.

"We have to dress today, right?"

"Yes…Just like the rest of the year."

Vivi pouted, "It's not that I don't like exercise. It's just I feel like we're forced to. It takes away the fun of it."

"I know.."

"Hello, only class I'm really interested in."

"What, you don't have Luffy?" Zoro asked bluntly.

"Nope. That geezer has him."

Sanji snorted, amused.

"ATTENDANCE!"

Afterwards, they were to run a few laps around the field as a warm up, stretch a bit, then simply play a game of indoor volleyball.

"This is insulting." Zoro peered at the teacher that was relaxing on a chair.

He threw him a lazy, lopsided smile, "Yeah, well, I'm an easy teacher. This isn't exactly my thing. I don't do general. I do martial arts. So I could care less." He shrugged.

"Stop faking, marimo. You were about ready to blackout when we finished." Sanji scoffed.

"Ha-ha. Says the guy who got _beaten_."

"Psh. You must've actually done it for a few seconds. _I _won."

"No, you didn't."

"Yes. I DID."

"NO, YOU DIDN'T."

"**You wanna rematch?!**"

"**BRING IT!"**

The leftover two teenagers and teacher lightly coughed, the two dashing off, leaving a dust cloud behind them.

"Men." Vivi rolled her eyes.

"I know, right?" Ace rolled his eyes as well. "What?" he asked the two who were staring at him.

"You do know you're a boy, right?" Robin asked.

"Yeah, but…leave me alone!"

"I can see the resemblance now." Vivi sweatdropped.

"Vivi? May I talk to Mr. Portgas alone?" Robin asked politely.

"Um, yeah, sure." Vivi nodded, walking to where Zoro and Sanji were supposed to finish.

She turned around when she heard him sigh.

"Look, Robin, you're nice and pretty and all, but I don't feel that way about you."

She cocked an eyebrow. "What are you-"

"I mean, you're what, three years younger than me? Wait, that's not that much…"

"I think you have the wrong idea. I wasn't going to-"

"I know!" he said, grabbing her hands. "I'm sexy. I admit it! But…it's best to just let go.."

She nodded slowly. "Let go."

"Yes. Let go."

"No, I mean let go." She said with a dark expression.

"Ah, sorry." He apologized dropping her hands, chuckling sheepishly.

"That's not what I was going to ask." She said, crossing her arms.

"Oh. Should've told me that before." He said, scratching his head.

She gave him a bored expression.

"Sorry, sorry. Continue."

"Well," she started, sitting on her legs on the false tiled floor, "It's about your brother."

"Ha.! I was right! Goin' all lovey-dovey on that baka, eh?"

"You're making me sound like a fool."

"Well you sort of have to be in that area to ever even have the chance of falling for him."

"…You're a different kind of annoying, Mr. Portgas. An annoying, bothersome kind of annoying."

"…Eh?"

"Luffy is a cute, amusing annoying. You're straight forward irritating."

"Gee, you have no shame." He mumbled, sweatdropping.

"Anyways," she continued, "…Do you have any advice whatsoever?"

He thought about it, resting his cheek on his palm. "…Nope."

_USELESS!_

She gave him another one of her looks, "That's not funny. I thought you'd be more serious about this."

"Alright, alright…Well, what do ya' wanna know?"

"Anything.." she said somewhat silently. "How to approach him about this…things like that."

"Well, as a guy, I think you should let him make the first move."

"He already has."

"Oh, yeah, of course and – HE DID?!" he leaned down to her, his eyes popping out of his skull.

She first hesitantly, then harshly shoved his eyes back in.

He softly rubbed his forehead as she said, "Yes…He told me this morning."

"Then you sort of should've just added onto to that…!" he said as it was obvious.

"I know. It's a great regret." She said, shaking her head, "But now that I've lost that chance, what do I do?"

"Erm…well…I honestly think it'd be the best to just straight forwardly tell him. Knowing him he'd be too happy that'll he kick all the awkwardness' ass to the curb."

"Really, now?" she said, rolling her eyes, the sarcasm only vague. He wasn't there that morning. If anything he was inviting awkwardness' ass for some damn tea.

"Oi, oi, I caught that!"

"I apologize. This just isn't what I was hoping to look for. That was my original plan, but seeing how things played out this morning, I'm not so sure anymore." She said, looking past him at the wall

He nodded, "So you're stuck?"

"I guess it's come to that." She said in a disappointed tone.

He sighed, "Well, the most I can probably give you is the advice to do the adding on thing. Sort of subtly come back to the topic or anything close to that, then tell him. It's the most detailed I can go."

She nodded, looking at the floor. "That...might work. Might." She looked at him and smiled.

He smiled back and nodded his head to her before getting up, "Glad I could help." He walked over to the rest of the group and started giving out instructions, leaving her to think a bit.

It wasn't half bad at all. She was almost surprised she hadn't thought of it herself. She gave a small smile, noticing her heart rate go down a bit.

She released a breath of air before standing up, joining the rest of the class.

* * *

"NAM~I!"

"I'm RIGHT NEXT TO YOU!" she yelled back at the boy, who smiled in return.

"I know. I just like yelling."

She sighed before saying, "Yeah, I can tell." She smiled softly, shaking her head.

"Eh, Nami? Can I ask you something?"

"Robin?"

"Yup." He slumped in his seat.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Well what do you want?" Nami asked in a slightly annoyed tone.

"I want Robin! I thought I already told you!"

"No, no, baka!" she frowned, "What about her?"

"Right! Gomen. Just tell me what to do." He said, leaning over and resting his head on his hand that was propped on her table.

"You can't just say that." she mumbled, leaning on her own hand, "You have to be more specific. What do you want to –" She stopped short when she saw him staring at her, smiling.

"Baka, baka." she murmured, "Fine…Where to start?...Would you like me to give you ideas on how to tell her?"

"I already told her!"

"Yeah, but the ideas of Luffy seem to have failed, so the second time, let's do it my way."

"Fine." He gave in, "But I'm still gonna help!"

"Yeah, yeah, of course!"

"Yosh!" he nodded. "What do I do first?"

"Step One:" she said, holding up a single, slim finger, "Get her alone."

"Nami!" he whined, "I already know that!"

"You can never be sure."

"…You're right! I can't!"

She smiled, then said, "Step Two:" she added another finger, "Make_ sure _you're alone."

"Eh?"

"Some people might snoop. Like me. You'll have to pay me to not do so." She said nonchalantly.

"Nam~i…" he whined.

"I'm not backing down."

He huffed, " Fine."

"Step Three!: Start talking about anything. Anything _except_ about all those crushes."

He nodded.

"Step Four!: After it gets silent, and I know it will, start talking about how you like her. Again. Tell her _why _you like her."

"I was gonna do that," he whined, laying his head directly on the wood, "But it got all awkward before I could. She always smiles whenever I call her pretty. She thinks I don't know!" he laughed.

She stared at him.

"What?"

She smiled at him, "You really like her, neh?"

He nodded, smiling, "Way more than meat. Don't tell her I said that!"

"Why not? Robin would be flattered."

"Not Robin! The MEAT!"

"You're comparing her to an inanimate object."

"Who the hell are you?!" Nami shrieked, startled by a boy suddenly appearing next to her.

"Oi, oi, Trafalguy! Meat was _once_ living. You shouldn't put any shame on it nonetheless just because it lost it's life." Luffy stated.

Nami blinked at him. "Wow…"

"And yet, you eat it."

"OI!"

"Who are you, anyways?" Nami asked.

"Law. Trafalgar Law."

"Oh really, that's great, now WHAT THE HELL DOES THAT MATTER?"

"I live across from girly-ya."

"Girly yeah?"

"Ya."

"Yeah!" Luffy smiled.

"No!" Nami shook her head, scolding him.

"Ya."

"He thinks it's right, Nami!" he pouted.

"What's right? What right, Luffy?" she asked bluntly.

"Oh the…the…the, um…thing."

BAM!

"EYAH!"

"Oi, Nami! What the hell was that for!"

"Being an idiot. Now tell me," she said, facing the other male, "What brings you here?"

"Nothing in particular. Just for fun."

"Oi, you! Is it true Robin likes you?!" Luffy asked, poking his hat.

"Yes."

Nami frowned as she heard Luffy crying somewhere.

"Oi, oi, what did you say? You're lying aren't you?" Nami asked angrily.

"Of course I am."

"Eh?" Luffy stopped, and walked up to him, effortlessly punching him in the face.

"I was just kidding." He stated simply, not caring for the fact that the punch was incredibly light.

"Then why would you say that?" Nami frowned again, "And Luffy, where did you get that from?"

"Robin told me she liked him."

"So you feel the need to ask him?"

He nodded.

"That doesn't even make any sense! Surely you would trust what Robin would say, since it's her feelings! Why the hell would you ask him?" she yelled putting her hands on her hips.

"I don't know." He said, picking his nose.

BAM!

"Oi! If Robin doesn't like you, then why did she tell me that?"

"She was lying." He said in his usual, calm voice.

"Lying?" Nami repeated.

He nodded, "Girly-ya favors Mugiwara, sadly."

"Oh! Okay, and WHAT DO YOU MEAN SADLY?!" Luffy yelled at him.

"Wait, wait. Do you _like_ Robin!?" Nami's eyes widened.

"Eh. I could live without her."

He gave a sigh of relief, and smiled, "Good! Cuz if you did, I would have to kick your ass!" he laughed.

"It's not that simple." Nami sweatdropped. "So. Law. What do _you _think Luffy should do?"

"Just tell her. She likes you anyways."

"I did!"

"You did?" he asked, somewhat surprised.

"YES! But she was all quiet." He whined.

"Ah, the girl has guts. She just hasn't found them yet."

"Then when will she~?" he asked, slowly sliding his face across the desk.

"Sometime."

"Whoo." He said happily.

"Eventually."

"Eventually?!" Nami repeated.

"I think."

"YOU THINK!?" they yelled at her.

"You're all very irritating."

* * *

Vivi actually enjoyed the time alone, waiting for Sanji and Zoro. It gave her time to think – something that was very hard to do with all the commotion the rest of them always made. Not that she didn't like it. She loved it. She loved _them_. But people needed space, right?

Of course they did.

She pretended to be listening when Franky came up to her and commented on their odd friendship.

Kohza. Kohza. Kohza. He was taking over her mind. If someone were to ask her, she would most positively agree that she loved him. He had done so much for her. Too much, if you asked her. But there was no stopping him. Like Luffy, or anyone on their group, one insult to their nakama and you might as well be ordering a casket.

She vaguely heard him chanting 'Super' when the two teens dashed across the finish line. She didn't quite catch anything they were talking about. Her attention on them was blurred.

She had always thought all those love songs were so corny, weird, and fake. She never thought your heart could beat so loud you could hear it. She never thought it was possible to smile with a single glance at someone. She never thought it was possible to think about someone 24/7. But he changed that.

When they were little, they were best friends. They told each other secrets, always explored different places, always got angry and had little wrestling matches. She wondered if he ever thought about those times as much as she did.

Now, here they stood, both never being caught dead having a wrestling match or punching each other in the face or making the other cry.

She thought the whole thing was bittersweet. She loved the fact that they were still best friends, and that they were older. But she knew it would never be the same as being just friends, whining about who got to use the swing first.

"Vivi-chan?" Sanji asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Ah, hai?"

"Are you okay? You've been spacing out for the past few minutes." Zoro said, crossing his arms.

"Oh, yeah…Just…thinking."

"About?" he raised his eyebrow.

"E-Eh? Why are you so nosy, Zoro?!" she said, not wanting to talk about it.

"Hey, guys! Sit down!" the freckled face man yelled at them.

"Yeah, yeah," Sanji waved off.

After she took her seat, Robin came and sat next to her. "Are you okay? You seem off." she frowned, looking at her blue haired friend.

"Why would you say that? I'm just fine."

"Well, if you haven't noticed, everyone's already left to play." Robin said, trying to hide a small smirk. She couldn't help it – it felt somewhat nice to see someone as confused a she was.

Her brown eyes slightly widened as she got up, "Oh! We should go." She said, trying to avoid the subject.

"It's fine." She smiled deviously at her, "Mr. Portgas doesn't mind."

She gave her an annoyed look, "You're not gonna let me run away from this one, huh?"  
Robin shook her head.

Vivi sighed, and sat back down, "Well –"

"Kohza?"

"H-How did you know?! I haven't told anyone about him!"

"Luffy enjoys snooping." She giggled softly.

"I'm gonna kill him." She pouted.

"You're starting to sound like Nami-san."

She shrugged her shoulders sheepishly, resulting in another giggle.

"So."

"So?"

"So what makes him so special?" she asked curiously, resting her head on her pulled up knees.

"He's my childhood friend." She said, smiling. Robin was suddenly incredibly interested.

"I've known him for a long time...He's really sweet when he wants to be. But he can also be a jerk. He's smart and teases me a lot ad he always looks out for me…This sounds so corny." She whined, covering her face with her hands, only her left eye showing between her fingers.

"_Fufufu~_ Love is corny. It comes with the whole package, I've learned."

"I guess so." She smiled softly, taking her hands off her face.

"So…When do you plan on telling him this?"

"Soon. Maybe today. Maybe tomorrow. As soon as I'm 100 percent confident. 25% of it has flown out the door somewhere." She said lamely.

"_Fufu~_ I wish I was as confident as you."

"You are, Robin. You just don't realize it."

"I can't realize something that isn't real."

"Stop bullying yourself." Vivi rolled her eyes.

"It just isn't who I am."

"Robin…This is still about…them, huh?"

She have a sad smile, "I suppose you've found me out as well."

"What's all this about, eh?"

"You're not alone, Robin-chan."

"We're SUPER there for you!"

She turned to face the three's legs. She didn't want to look at their faces.

She heard him sigh, and she pretended to space out when he sat in front of her, his curly eyebrow raised.

"You shouldn't doubt yourself so damn much, Robin." Zoro commented.

"You don't have to help me with this." She said staring at him almost angrily, "I never asked for your help."

"Nakama shouldn't have to." He replied, slightly smirking.

"You're all so embarrassing." She mumbled. "But…I love you guys anyways."

"ROBIN-CHWAAAN!"

"AWW, MAN…! I FREAKIN LOVE YOU GUYS!" Franky sobbed.

Vivi smiled happily behind her, Zoro shook his head, smiling softly

"I love you guys, too!" Ace walked in, sobbing.

"…THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE?!"

She giggled as she watched Vivi lightly scold him for eavesdropping, while Sanji and Zoro picked a harsher tactic, which still seemed to be in a tie, despite it was two against one. Franky was starting to wipe his eyes.

She wasn't alone…She wasn't alone…It gave her a happy thought, knowing that. However, she still wasn't so sure. She's been happy with other people, too. But it had just been a joke. They stabbed her in the back. She was positive they wouldn't do that to her, but…She couldn't help but feel a bit uneasy, breaking free of Lucci's expectations. And if she knew one thing, it was for certain – he wouldn't let her get away form him that easily.


End file.
